Bleeding in the Ashes
by Okikokku
Summary: After moving into a new town with little to no explanation as to why, Sanji finds himself caught in a web of misfortune and brutality when the reason for the transfer rears it's terrifying head. He's just lucky he has this new band of misfits to help him through it all. Torture-Stalker-Zosan.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer : I don't own One Piece or any of it's characters.

* * *

The crisp air blew softly on Sanji's pale skin as he frowned around an unlit cigarette, thin arms were crossed above his chest as he watched several burly and tall men enter his home and exit shortly after with their hands full of boxes and furniture. It was mid-afternoon and the blonde chef couldn't be anymore pissed off if he tried, but who wouldn't be after waking up to a shouting old man saying they were going to be moving? To a new fucking town? Which meant a school transfer, and leaving all his friends behind?

Not to mention this town that they were moving too was hours away from the Baratie, which made Sanji all the more confused as to why they were leaving their dream behind so easily and without any goddamn complaints. It just wasn't right, and the 18 year old honestly felt as though he was still dreaming.

"What the hell is going on, old man?" The lean figure asked as he walked up next to his elder step-father, who was instructing the movers on what he wanted transferred on the first trip with tense features and clenched fists. He didn't even care that he was interrupting, all he cared about was getting a shred of information on why exactly this was happening, and why he had no say in the events. "Fucking talk to me before I burn this place to the ground with you trapped inside!"

The men seemed rather off-put as the beauty of a blonde had unleashed such a swarm of profanity, but didn't bother commenting on it as Zeff rolled his eyes and gestured for them to get back to work so he could speak to his son.

"Zip is, eggplant." The old man stated with a glare, which made Sanji return the expression with fire practically exploding from his baby blues. "We don't have a choice in the matter."

"The fuck does that mean?! It's our home, of course we have a say in if we move or no-" The blonde stopped himself mid-sentence as he let out a long sigh and spit his saliva coated cigarette onto the cold grassy ground. He didn't even realized he had bothered to stomp out the unlit smoke -a habit he supposed- as he continued to speak. "Is this about money...? I thought the Baratie was doing well..."

"It's not that, idiot. Don't bother concerning yourself on the why's, just focus on getting your shit together and in the truck before we leave." The elder man spoke harshly, but his eyebrows were still drawn up in worry as he pushed the teen into the house, who instead of fighting, did as he was told.

It was rare for him to see Zeff so.. Uneasy about something. He saw truth in his eyes when he said it had nothing to do with money, but that only made Sanji more confused and worried as to why this was happening. If not money issues, then what would impact them to a point where they had to leave town?

Sanji shook the thoughts from his tired mind as he walked into his room and grabbed one of the many boxes that had his more expensive clothes inside. He would get the information from the geezer at some point, he always did after all, so there was no point in stressing so much on it at the moment.

For now, he needed to get his knives and clothes packed away before Zeff decided to leave him behind. Which, Sanji couldn't help but think, wouldn't be such a bad idea.

* * *

Blonde hair was thrown every which way as sea blue eyes blinked themselves open, the morning sun barely missing the orbs as the teen attached to the parts groaned and rolled onto his side, hand reaching out for an alarm clock that wasn't there.

That was a little concerning, and enough to get the teen shooting up and looking around the foreign surroundings around him as he tried to process where he was. He seemed to of lost himself for a good minute before his mind kicked into action and reminded him of yesterdays events. They had moved.

All in one day. All the planning, moving and relocating in one damn day. The blonde thought as he kicked his feet off to the side of his bed and looked around at the many boxes that littered the cold wooden floor. After they had finally gotten everything they needed from the house -which was obviously everything- then taken a 3 hour trip to their new house twice, Sanji was bushed, and decided to call it a night without bothering to unpack anything but his blanket and pillow.

Zeff didn't even yell at him for crashing so early, which Sanji appreciated at the time, but now that he really thought about it, was completely out of character for the man. He never let his son sleep early since he could always do better things with his time, like cook, plan meals, think of new recipes, study for school, or workout. There was always something to do. But yet again, that was another thing to add to the list of 'Confusing shit Zeff has done in a day'. Needless to say, it was a very long list that had only been invented yesterday.

"Mgh..." The teen groaned once more as he let the pads of his thin feet make contact with the floor, which caused rippling pulses of cold to run through his legs. This was why he preferred carpet, they couldn't absorb the cold as much and it didn't make for a painful wake-up call.

After adjusting to the sudden cold the blonde finally stood himself up and groaned for what felt like the hundredth time that day as he realized he had no idea what box held his everyday clothes. He didn't really have any time to mark anything with how fast he was being rushed out of the house. He looked down at his attire and simply shrugged before walking out of the room, and headed towards what he hoped to be the bathroom. He was wearing some grey yoga pants and a baggy black shirt, it wasn't exactly formal but it wasn't like he was leaving the house today.

"Wrong door, eggplant." Sanji would of jumped up from shock at the sudden voice, but restrained himself as he glared over his shoulder at Zeff, who was walking down the hallway in his own set of pajamas. The blonde let go of the handle he had deemed the bathrooms before crossing his arms above his chest. "Last door on the right."

He didn't bother thanking the man as he turned on his heel and went to the instructed door, or at least he would have if Zeff didn't decide to speak up again. "Sanji."

Ohh, using his actual name, huh? Sanji scoffed and rolled his eyes but still continued to turn around and look at the man as he spoke. Making eye contact throughout their conversations showed the other that they weren't about to back down, and Sanji wasn't about to hint at what he thought was a weakness when he wasn't the one in the wrong.

"We will talk after we get everything unpacked, get your student id as well so we can apply to the closest school." The blonde didn't speak yet again, to strung up on his pride to even bother giving the man the satisfaction of hearing his voice.

It's not like he really needed to get the point that he was pissed across, because he was sure that anger was pouring out of his every crevice since he woke up the previous morning, but he still felt the need to ignore the man until he explained himself. So with that thought in mind he turned back on his heel and slammed the bathroom door shut behind him, happy that the old man had at least set out his hygienic products the night before since the cook was sure that he wouldn't be able to find them if he tried with how many boxes were lining the halls and floors.

Most of it was cooking equipment, but there were also books, clothes, weird ornaments that they scattered throughout their old house, and some memorable items that the two didn't wish to part with. Like Sanji's chef knife that Gordan Ramsay had signed. That was something the blonde would never EVER part with.

Sanji then grabbed his toothbrush and began to scrub at his teeth without bothering to look into the mirror. No one tended to believe him, which is why he stopped telling others, but the blonde was very self-conscious and hated the way he looked. The fact that after he told anyone this they laughed in his face didn't help in the slightest, which is why he thought it best to avoid mirrors and pictures whenever possible. Instead he grabbed his comb with his other hand and straightened down the strands before spitting out the minty foam and rinsing his mouth with some mouthwash.

He may not leave the house but he still wasn't about to walk around looking like a hobo. Even if he couldn't shower yet... That thought sparked another wave of anger in his soul, but he kept it contained as he left the bathroom after relieving himself and cleaning his hands with the set out sanitizer. The water would be turned on around lunch, so there was nothing to worry about.

"Hmm~" The blonde let out a small hum as he walked down the unknown halls, and after what felt like hours he found the large living room, where Zeff was sitting with two plates of waffles and other breakfast foods placed in front of him.

Waffles were a comforting food to Sanji and had been ever since he was a child, which only proved the fact that this move wasn't something the elder man could control. It made Sanji feel slightly bad as he walked over and planted himself next to the man, grabbing the plate in front of him before digging in, only stopping for short moments to sip on some orange juice. But even though he felt bad, he still wasn't about to apologize. Not until he got an explanation.

"So, we are going to apply you in Grand Line High School. I've been hearing good things about it, and we can get you transferred today so you can start tomorrow." Sanji nodded as he licked his lips free from the syrup before grabbing some bacon. "And I know this is all... Sudden. But believe me when I say it is for the best. We will manage the restaurant from here so don't worry about that."

"I want to WORK in the restaurant, not fucking manage it." The teen spat out after setting his empty plate onto the table and grabbed the orange juice to slowly finish it off. It was obvious that Zeff was proud at that exclamation, but he didn't comment on it as he sighed and crossed his beefy arms above his chest.

"I know, eggplant. But there is nothing I can do right now. Hopefully this all clears up soon and we can go back, but until then I suggest you stop bitching and deal with this."

"WHAT clears up you fucking geezer? All I want to know is why we moved here! Why so suddenly, and what the hell are you so worried about?!" The blonde blew up and held up a hand as Zeff went to speak. "I don't want to hear any bullshit about me not having to know, or you not having a choice. Just take this and don't bother talking to me until you decide to tell me the truth."

Sanji tossed the man his student id before stomping his way back into his room. He might as well un-pack everything while he tried to calm himself down.

Although he was sure the task wouldn't help ease his mind in the slightest.

* * *

The car ride to his new school was anything if not awkward, and Sanji couldn't help but try to ease the tension by turning on the radio. Which just so happened to click onto the news station, which Zeff turned off almost as soon as he turned it on so that the blondes action was pointless and made Sanji huff before crossing his arms above his lean chest and leaning himself against his door.

He watched as the many houses and stores passed by, he hated the idea of using Google Maps to get home, but he wasn't about to ask his father for a ride after everything that happend. The only reason he was driving him now was because they needed to get their early for his schedule and Zeff needed to run some errands so Sanji wasn't able to drive the car himself. Although Sanji would have been more than content with walking, Zeff didn't leave any room for arguments as he told him to get in the car.

"Here we are. Try not to pick any fights, eggplant." Was all Zeff said before Sanji rolled his eyes and hopped out of the car.

The school was huge yet not a single student was present on the yard, which helped to show how early Sanji actually was as he closed the car door behind him and began walking towards the building. He ignored the fact that Zeff didn't leave until he entered the school in favor of shoving his hands into his pockets and taking in his surroundings. It was actually a very clean and nice looking location, but that didn't help ease the fact that the blonde left a high-end culinary school for this public one.

But he was done being pissed over the situation. At least, that is what he was going to tell himself until he found of the truth.

So he shook the thoughts and entered the door labeled 'office', where two elderly women were seated behind oak-wood desks. Neither seemed to notice his presence, making him clear his throat as he clenched his thin hands around the strap of his backpack. The woman blinked in shock before looking up at the teen, who smiled sheepishly down at her in return.

Guess not many students came in this early.

"Hi there, um." God he hated talking to new people. Especially when he knew he couldn't be a dick if they said anything that crossed him. "I'm Sanji Blackleg. Transfer student, I was told to come in early to get my timestable...?"

"Oh, of course! I have it right here, dear." The woman smiled up at him before reaching into a folder next to her desk and pulling out two sheets of paper. "Here is your course outline, and this is a map of the school. Classes start at 8am but I am sure your first teacher is here now. He is very friendly and would want to meet you before the ruckus shows up."

"Thank you, ma'am." Sanji bowed slightly and threw her another smile before exiting the room and looking down at the sheets in his hands.

Class 101, Health and Biology. Guess he better head to his class before he decided to simply run away and join a pirate crew. Ya, he was that mad at the situation.

* * *

Tbc.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer : I don't own One Piece or any of it's characters.

A/N : Special thanks to: 'Beefucker', 'Guest', 'Jusjus' and 'Happy Balon' for the reviews! They really convince me to keep going on this.

IMPORTANT : I fixed the POV in this since everyone seemed to dislike it xD I understand though, I shouldn't of changed it to begin with so I am going to keep it in a Normal POV rather than the characters perspective. (If anyone finds any other problems please let me know! Sometimes I over look things, so thank you all for being honest!)

* * *

Sanji twiddled his fingers together softly as he walked through the empty halls of the educational building. It was a lot smaller than his previous school, but that wasn't something he was about to complain about since he tended to get lost quite frequently in the other school's many hallways and floors. It was literally only based around culinary but it needed hundreds of rooms? Like hell.

The blonde sighed lightly as his eyes roamed over the ceiling, putting his mind elsewhere as he noticed several large paintings were engraved on the thin squares that held the lights in place. Some were rather good and gorgeously styled, while others looked as though a toddler had conjured them up. He guessed that the students were the ones to make them, regardless of whether or not they were artists or not. That sounded rude, he sighed and looked back down, that wasn't really something that warranted an insult, but hell what was the one that looked like a mermaid but with a fish top?

He shook the thought, because it was funny and he really didn't feel like laughing in the hallways like a lunatic, in favor of keeping his attention focused on the room numbers. He was currently at the 34th class room, and he needed to go to 56th. That should be on the first floor right? He thought with a frown, there was only two floors and 200 classrooms, so 100 per floor.

'Whoa, look at me doing math.' The teen thought lightly at the simple division.

Chuckling, he took a quick peak at the map that was folded neatly into his pocket and noticed that the destination was just a couple rooms ahead. He stuffed the paper back into his pocket and sucked in a deep breath in preparation before opening up the correct door, wincing as the wood made a loud creaking noise upon movement.

"Oh, hello there!" Sanji smiled lightly and bowed towards, what he could only assume to be, the teacher of his first period class. Once he pushed himself back up however, he took a step back in surprise as his eyes finally took a good look at the 'man'.

It was a child by the looks of it, a young boy with curly brown hair, big doe eyes and a large pink hat with a little medical plus mark stitched into the front placed on his head. It was actually both comical and adorable in his opinion, but he still wanted to know what a kid was doing in a high school. Alone no less.

"Um. Hey there, what's your name?" The taller of the two asked as he walked over to the kid and towered over their tiny form. He hoped that he wasn't being intimidating, but he didn't wish to insult the kid by kneeling down to be on eye level. He never liked that as a kid after all.

"Oh, I'm Dr. Chopper!" He smiled up at the cook, probably ignoring the tone that he had used to address him previously. "I can assume that you are Sanji Blackleg, correct? It's a pleasure to meet you."

He held out his hand towards the latter, awaiting a handshake as Sanji blinked down at the boy. This was a joke right?

"Aren't you a little too young to be a teacher?" He asked softly, trying his hardest not to lash out at the failed attempt at a joke.

"Hm? Oh well yes..." He blushed but kept his smile firm as he continued to look up at the blonde. "I graduated University at 12, and got this job a couple years back. I know it may be a little weird, but I promise you that I can teach with no problems!"

Sanji couldn't help but smile at the positive attitude, well even if it was a prank then he guessed that he was just going to roll with the dice and wait for it all to pan out. Nothing else he could really do at this point anyways.

"Well... Then it's a pleasure to meet you, please take care of me." Sanji said finally as he shook his hand and gave out a final bow, which sent the other into a frenzy of blushes and wiggles as he directed the chef towards where he would be sitting throughout the school year.

'Guess this semester was going to be a weird one.' The tall teen thought with a sigh as he sat himself down and waited for the class to begin.

* * *

'I was right.' Sanji thought with a yawn as he walked out of his final class of the day. Every single one of the cooks teachers was odd, starting with the small boy of a doctor that he had for his first period, he then had a tall and red haired man who had a missing arm for Math, a pretty yet very creepy woman for History, and a literal clown for art.

He couldn't help but wonder where the school found all these people.

The blonde was pulled out of his musings however as his shoulders bumped against the many people in the hallway as he tried to swim his way out of the building, he always hated crowds of people. They made the teen feel anxious and moody since he had no way to protect himself when he could barely move his legs enough to walk forward.

"Oi!" The blue eyes diverted from the sea of teenagers as a harsh voice exploded from outside the school. He finally slipped through the large doors and looked over at where the voice had erupted from. He wouldn't typically care about the shouts of others, unless it was a woman, but this guy sounded hostile.

His eyes finally caught sight of the scene that was unfolding outside the building. It looked as though a large group of tattoo covered teens were crowded around a single figure in the center of their circle. Seriously? How pathetic did you have to be in order to completely overpower someone with numbers alone?

Sad. He thought with a sigh as he noticed every other student was trying their hardest to not look in the direction of the fight, it honestly made the new student a little confused. If they just helped the kid he was sure that these pansies would back off. It was in their nature, they fed off of fear and the second someone stood up against them they backed off like scared children.

Which is exactly why Sanji pushed himself through the circle and stood his ground in front of the quivering teen who had been surrounded by the idiots. He had curly hair, a much too long nose, overalls and a small form. Did these jerks truly believe that they needed more than one person to take this guy out?

"H-Hey, you should get out of her-" The shaking man tried to whisper to the either brave or stupid blonde, making the latter scoff and roll his eyes. Like hell.

"Fuck no." Sanji interrupted with anger. "Why the hell are you idiots praying on a single person? Pathetic. I mean honestly, how weak do you guys have to be in order to use sheer numbers against someone?"

"W-What?!" One of the guys shouted in anger as Sanji simply shrugged his shoulders in return.

"Deaf and stupid, huh?" The blonde asked as if he pitied the man. "Must suck to be you."

"Blondie, I suggest you get your pretty face out of here. Wouldn't want to hurt you." Another man yelled, and Sanji could hear the panicked tone as he laughed and shoved his hands into his pockets.

"I would fucking love to see you try, dickbreath." He growled out, baring his pearly white teeth in an attempt to intimidate the crowd of men.

Of course, it triggered the others to charge the lean teen in anger, who could only smile as the opportunity to release some of his pent up anger presented itself.

This would be fun.

* * *

"W...What the hell..." The cowering teen whispered out as Sanji calmly pulled a white napkin from out of his back pocket and gently wiped the blood off of his right shoe. Assholes. Didn't they know how expensive these shoes were? "HOW?!"

The blonde winced as the other blew up, and shrugged in confusion as he stepped over the bodies that scattered the floor in order to retrieve his discarded backpack. "How, what?"

"How did you do that?! It was so cool! You were so bendy and I think that guy lost all his teeth!" Sanji grinned as the other went off. He always loved it when people fancied his fighting style. It was unique after all since he could never use his hands, he couldn't damage them due to his profession as a chef so he had to do what he could with his slim, yet built legs. Luckily though, Zeff had been teaching him this style for years, so he was practically a master in whatever fighting style this may be called.

"Thanks." He smiled over at the curly haired boy as he shrugged his bag on.

"What's your name?" He asked as he smiled back and walked up to the taller male.

"Sanji. Yours?"

"Usopp. Thanks... You know, for saving me." Usopp frowned and crossed his arms as he looked down at the ground. "I would of got my ass beat if you didn't jump in... These guys are major assholes."

"Ya, I noticed." Sanji replied curtly as he pulled out a smoke and lit it up in one quick motion. "Why were they crowding you though? You do something?"

"No. I'm just apart of the straw hats, so they saw I was alone and took the opportunity to... I don't know, show Luffy what they could do?" The chef was confused as he spoke, was this a gang thing? Oh god,he hoped he didn't interfere with a gang thing. He was not about to get dragged into some gay ass turf war shit.

He must of sensed the taller's confusion since he cocked an eye and continued to speak.

"Are you- OH! You must be the new kid!" He yelled in realization. As if that explained life's biggest mystery. "OK. So you obviously have no idea how the kids here work right?" Sanji shook his head in agreement.

"Nope. I didn't think there was a set program." He mumbled as the other laughed. The two finally chose to sit down on the cement stairs as they spoke. He wasn't complaining though, since he didn't feel like heading home right away and wanted to enjoy his smoke after the brawl.

"Well, to start off each student here is a part of some kinda group. It's kinda like the classic school cliche where you have jocks, nerds and cheerleaders. Most of the groups are typically just friends banded together, but then you have the Krieg's. They choose to fight whoever they can, get people to join them through fear and, as you said before, rule over everyone by having the most members in their group." He explained, and Sanji listened intently as he puffed on the cancer stick. This was rather interesting in the blondes opinion. "But the ones who technically rule over the school are the Straw hats."

"Wait, rule over the school? Sooo... You are in a group of dictators?" Sanji asked with a little anger lacing his tone as smoke wisped out from between his pale lips. Typically the people ruling over others were the worst kinds of people in his own opinion, and he honestly felt like he would regret saving this guy if it turned out he was a jerk.

"NO! No, no no! I should of phrased that better... Um, well we are just collabed with most of the other groups. Luffy, the 'captain' of our group, is super friendly, to a point where he helps anyone no matter the problem and doesn't automatically hate anyone. But at the same time he only chooses specific people to be in the Straw hats, which is why we only have 8 members, including me." Usopp waved his hands frantically as he tried to mend his previous exclamation.

"Huh. Seems small." Sanji commented lightly as he stubbed out the smoke and leaned his arms against his knees, arching his back slightly as he looked out at the road ahead of the two.

"It is, but we are kinda like a family... It's nice!" Usopp smiled as the other stood back up and patted the back of his jeans in order to free them of the dust from the stairs. "...I honestly think you would make a good addition to our little band of weirdos."

"Pass." The cook said, much to the others surprise. "I'm not joining any 'groups'. I'm just going to get through this school year and go back to running my restaurant."

"Restaurant? You're a cook?" The curly haired teen asked with wide and hopeful eyes, but Sanji didn't seem to notice as he continued to speak.

"Chef. And I should really get going." He looked back at the previous victim and smiled lightly. "It was nice meeting you though, Usopp. Maybe I'll see you around?"

"You can count on it." He smiled back as he stood up and shook Sanji's hand briefly before the two took their own separate paths home.

'God, today was just full of drama now wasn't it?' Sanji thought with yet another sigh as he lit up his second smoke of the day and pulled out his phone for the directions home.

Oh great, now he had a 20 minute walk to look forward to. The blue eyed male just prayed that Zeff bothered to unpack most of their stuff, cause like hell he was doing that after the day he had.

* * *

Tbc.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer : I don't own One Piece or any of it's characters.

A/N : Big thank you's to 'Subaru's dreams', 'Pinapples' and 'Guest' for the reviews on the second chapter!~

* * *

Usopp smiled widely as he practically skipped towards his shared house in silence, his limbs and face completely bruise free for what felt like the first time in forever as his thoughts wondered to how the day had unfolded. The artist had honestly thought that his life was over once those guys saw him standing outside the school all alone, and before he could even comprehend just what was happening he was boxed in against the wall with at least a dozen larger teens surrounding him.

"Hehe..." That blonde, he thought with his smile still wide, saved his life.

He was like an angel sent from the heavens, he was just... The teen blushed and bit his bottom lip as he thought back on the taller male. He was blonde, tall, slim, had eyes as blue as the sea, pale skin and STRONG legs. Not to mention the fact that he was a cook. The one thing that Luffy has needed in their little group ever since he found Brook. It was far more than a coincidence, it was fate. That, Usopp was sure of.

And he knew that without a doubt that the second Luffy heard about his savior he would do anything he could to make Sanji become a part of the crew. At least, he HOPED Luffy would do that actually, because if he didn't then Usopp would have to.

"Oi. Usopp." The long nosed teen looked over his shoulder at the shout and was pulled out of his thoughts as he glared at the oncoming male, who looked both dazed and tired as he yawned and caught up with his person. "Where were you?"

"I WAS waiting for you, you jerk! But then some of Krieg's gang saw me." Usopp frowned as he glared at the other, Zoro looked as though he was about to talk with anger practically pouring out of his eyes, but Usopp beat him to it. "But nothing happened. Someone else saved my ass."

"Who?" He asked with a cocked brow, which was just as green as his hair. "Who would be dumb enough to piss off that gang without being apart of us?"

"He's new. Sanji is his name and he is AWESOME! Probably a better fighter than you." Usopp chuckled as the others face lit up red in anger. "But he only uses his legs to fight.. But that's probably because he's a cook."

"A cook?" Zoro asked before sighing deeply, as if he knew what that entailed. "Of course he's the one thing Luffy needs..."

"Sorry, a chef. But I am really praying that Luffy gets him to join us! He's super cool, but said no when I suggested it..." The artist frowned as Zoro rolled his brown eyes and crossed his thick arms above his equally as broad chest.

"Then leave it be. If he is meant to join us, he will. If not then it's his loss." He shrugged as Usopp slapped him on the arm. The smaller man immediately regretted his action though since it felt as though he just slapped a brick wall. Ouch.

"Shut it! He's joining us!" Usopp yelled as he nursed his probably bruised hand close to his chest, making the swordsman cock an eyebrow and blink in confusion before his face erupted into a wide grin.

'Oh no.' Usopp thought with a frown before the other teen spoke.

"You like him, don't you?" He asked slyly, making the curly haired boy blush and shake his head frantically back and forth.

"No! I just think he's cool!..." He paused for a second before smiling lightly in sudden realization. "I honestly think that you might like him though. I mean, he's pretty, swears a lot, he's a great fighter and he doesn't seem like the type to take anyone's shit. That is like, perfect marks down the board for you."

"Pfft. Like hell. I'm married to my training."

That was an understatement, Usopp thought with a chuckle as the two continued to walk home. All Zoro ever did was train, sleep and eat. Like an overgrown puppy that had serious trust issues. But every member of the Straw Hats still loved him, and he loved them. Even if he never admitted it, it was still obvious with how protective he was over the members of their little family.

Like he said, he was just like a puppy. Although, he would probably kill the smaller male if he were to ever say this aloud.

* * *

Oh good lord. Sanji ground his teeth together in anger as he walked through the front door of his new house and looked over at the sea of filled and unpacked boxes that lined the floor.

"Seriously?" He shouted out, already knowing full well that the old geezer was home since their car was parked out front. The old fart couldn't even unpack a single goddamn box?!

"Shut it, eggplant. I'm busy." The elder man called out from the living room, making Sanji huff out an angry groan as he kicked off his shoes and dropped his heavy bag by the front door before trudging his way into the living room, where Zeff was seated on the couch with a phone in his wrinkled hand.

Sensing that he didn't want his adoptive son listening in on the conversation, Sanji held his hands up in surrendering sign before leaving the room and heading towards the kitchen. He was feeling a little hungry so he decided to fix up some fried rice. 'Might as well make the geezer some too since he looked like he hasn't eaten since breakfast.'

The idiot. He thought with a sigh as he pulled out the needed ingredients and a - God damn it. The blonde turned on his heel and sighed before walking back into the hall with his mind set on looking for the box with their pans. It didn't take too long thankfully since they had bothered to label each box before loading them into the moving truck, which Sanji was thankful for as he opened it quietly and pulled out the needed skillet before standing back up flipping the large pan around in his hand.

He went to go back into the kitchen but stopped as Zeff's soft voice rang out from the living room. The man was obviously trying to keep quiet as he spoke, which just made the emo haired teenager all the more curious as to what the topic of conversation was on. So, because he was an eavesdropping little shit, he tiptoed his way towards the rooms opening and leaned against the wall, not peaking his head in, but instead leaning his ear against the thin wall.

"-he stopped? He must of realized that he moved...No, how would he?" Zeff seemed angry at whatever the other party had said since his tone grew more graver by the second. "Not happening. You saw what he was sending him... He isn't safe... I know, but what else could I of done, idiot?!"

'The hell was he talking about?' Sanji asked himself with a cocked brow. Honestly there wasn't enough pieces here for the blonde to get a good idea on if this particular conversation was even about the move, which made his shoulders go limp at the realization that he wasn't finding out anytime soon on why they had bothered to move here to begin with.

But he wasn't about to let it get him down again, he thought as he threw on a grin and took the trip back into the kitchen. If Zeff wasn't going to let him know why they moved, then he would find out for himself. And with that thought in mind he turned on the stove and began humming softly to himself at the rice fried on the pan.

There was very little the teen couldn't get out of his step-father after all.

* * *

Sanji yawned softly as he kicked his feet onto the small table that was placed between him and the television. It was roughly 10:10pm and the blonde could do nothing but watch the late night cartoons as his eyes refused to stay shut for longer than 5 minutes at a time.

He blamed the fact that they would just be closing the restaurant at this time for his lack of sleep, his mind wasn't used to going to sleep any earlier than 11 at the earliest after all. He sighed at the thought and directed his eyes away from the tv and onto the stale white roof. The soft noises of Rick and Morty seemed to be nothing more than background static in his mind as he sniffed lightly and gently fluttered his eyelids closed.

'Hmmm...' He mentally hummed to himself as he felt his energy slowly drain from his form, and his body sag into the plush couch. It didn't last long however as he had to shoot his eyes open at the sound of a soft knock erupting from the front door. 'The hell..?'

The blonde stood up from his seat and cracked his back gently as he walked up to the door. He had enough sense to take a peak through the peephole on the wood, but it proved useless since there was no one there. He cocked an eye in confusion as he unlocked the -many- locks and bolts before slowly opening the door just wide enough for him to get a good look at whatever had made the noise.

"Hello?" He asked softly as he stepped out of the house and looked around once more. He finally came to the realization that it could of just been a squirrel or something, which made him shrug his shoulders and turn on his heel, mind intent on finally going to bed, but was stopped as he noticed a small and beautifully wrapped gift that was placed under their mailbox. "Hmm?"

He bent down and gently grabbed the parcel, curious as to who in their right mind would think that dropping off a gift in the middle of the night was a good idea before he flipped the little tag on the top and read who it was for.

 _Sanji. 3_

...A secret admirer? Sanji asked himself with a small blush as he took one finally look around his front yard and stepped back into the house. He made sure to do up all the locks once more, Zeff made it very clear that he wanted them to be as secure as possible, before he walked back into the living room and sat himself onto the couch.

He must of stared at the gift for a good 10 minutes before he finally mustered up the courage to unwrap the golden paper. His thin fingers removed the wrapping without much tearing, which left him with a bright blue box with a letter gently placed on the top. The blonde picked it up and unfolded the thin sheet before reading it off in his head.

 _'Hello my love,_

 _I am so sorry that you failed to receive my previous gifts. It seems as though your father has been throwing them out without informing you. He must of, right?_

 _You wouldn't just throw out my presents would you? No. You are much too kind for that. Much too kind._

 _But that is OK, because if I didn't see the gifts in your restaurants garbage I would never of realized you weren't receiving them. Now I know not to send them when your father is awake. And since he goes to bed at 9:30pm everyday, then I will be sure to drop these off at 10. I know you can't sleep until 11 so this should be perfect._

 _Please do not wait for me outside however, you will see me in due time after all. Wouldn't wish to break the secret admirer illusion._

 _Oh, and before I forget, you looked absolutely stunning today. Blue is perfect on you, and those jeans almost made me faint at the tightness. It should be a sin to be so pretty._

 _-Yours only, G'_

"...What the fuck?!" Sanji yelled softly as he finished reading off the letter. That was odd. Previous gifts? The cook was sure that if he was getting any gifts the other chefs would of at least told him. Why would they have any reason not too?

He shook the thought. Maybe they were just jealous?

And anyways the most concerning prospect of this note was the ending. He saw him today? When? Did he go to his new school? But he couldn't, if he frequently visited the Baratie then he wouldn't live so far away... Right?

'Ugh...' Sanji rubbed his forehead roughly. He could feel a headache coming on, so instead of thinking any further on it he re-folded the note and focused his attention back on the blue box. He opened it quickly, not bothering to mentally prepare himself, and gasped at the contents.

It was a watch. A gorgeous and golden watch. He made a slight noise of shock however as he noticed that this was the exact same watch that he had been ogling on his way home that day at the jewelry store down the street.

So does that mean this 'G' person was watching him walk home...? Sanji shook his head frantically and grabbed the box and note before shutting off the television and going into his bedroom. No. No one was creepy enough to do something like that, but it was still a little concerning how it was the EXACT same watch...

Well, the blonde thought as he placed the gift on his en-table before flinging himself into his bed, this was a problem to think about tomorrow. For now, he would sleep and pray that nothing serious escalated out of this.

* * *

Tbc.


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer : I don't own One Piece or any of it's characters.

A/N : A warm thank you goes out to 'Lili', 'sparklespepper' and 'Subaru's dreams' for their reviews on chapter 3!

* * *

A soft and scratchy groan erupted from Sanji's throat as he rolled over onto his stomach and buried his pale face into his plush and lavender smelling pillow. His blonde hair was sprawled around the fabric in a spider webbed fashion as he inhaled deeply and relaxed his shoulders.

"Hmm." He hummed out with a content smile as he cracked his sea blue eyes open and directed his pupils at his digital alarm, but gently furrowed his brows instead as he was unable to see what time was being illuminated. The blonde blinked his eyes for a moment before sitting himself up and moving the small box that was placed in front of the alarm.

'Oh.. Right..' The teenager felt a light bulb flicker inside his mind as he recalled the events from the previous night. He gently rubbed his pointer finger and thumb against the blue box in thought before he cracked the present open and re-looked over the watch.

It really was well crafted and would go perfectly with all of his outfits. It was also one of the most expensive accessories that the chef had seen in his entire life. Which really made him wonder who could possibly afford something like this for a gift, and for him no less? He wouldn't even spend that kind of money on himself, and he doubted anyone else in the right mind would do something like that for him either, which is exactly why he couldn't help but think that this was either a prank and the watch was fake, or this was meant for another Sanji.

But how common was a name like Sanji? So obviously this was some kinda prank. The fact that the note made little to no sense helped fuel that thought as the blonde placed the box back down and finally took a good look at the time.

5:07am.

Sanji sighed softly as he kicked his feet off of the bed and cracked his neck to the side in one quick motion, wincing at the sharp noise that erupted from the point of stress. The lean teen then stood up and grabbed a fresh pair of clothes before making his way to the bathroom. It wasn't like he could go back to sleep after all, so he might as well get an early start to his day.

* * *

Sanji winced slightly as the bacon grease from the pan in front of him popped and landed on his wrist, he wiped the oil off on his apron before he flipped his omelettes and grabbed two plates from the cupboard to his right. He dished the breakfast out evenly between the two plates before placing them on the recently built table in the dining room. Zeff was already seated on one end, eyes glued on the newspaper that was placed in his big and wrinkled hands.

The slimmer male placed the plates down before going back into the kitchen to pour two mugs of coffee before moving back into the dinning room and sitting across from his adoptive father before digging into the perfectly prepared food.

Zeff did so as well without so much as a word of thanks as his eyes remained firm on the paper. Sanji felt a nagging feeling in his chest, that maybe he should tell the elder man about what had occurred last night, and show him the note but thought better of it as he looked down at his light brown coffee and poured a good cup of sugar into the bitter liquid before chugging a good half of it down. Zeff looked as though he had a lot on his mind, which probably related to their sudden move, which compelled Sanji to stay quiet and finish his breakfast in silence.

Besides, if it really was a prank then there would be no point in getting the other man involved.

"Well," The swirly eyebrowed teen stood up and placed his empty plate and mug into the sink before turning on this heel. "I'm out. Gonna walk too, since it's such a nice day."

"Hm. Goodbye, eggplant. Avoid alleyways."

"Ya, thanks mom." Sanji replied sarcastically from his perch in front of the door as he slipped on his shoes and without another word, left the house. He didn't bother locking the door since he knew Zeff would be leaving to get more groceries in a couple minutes. Another reason as to why he left the car, he knew the elder man made it a routine to shop once a week on every Tuesday since the supermarkets were the least busy then.

The blonde then shoved his hands into his tight jeans as he began his walk to school, it was quiet a distance away but it gave him time too get lost in his thoughts, which is something the cook desperately needed after the recent events of this past week.

To start off his tangent, his step-father had woken him up at the crack of dawn only to tell him that they were moving. Not only were they changing houses, no. They were changing TOWNS. It was sudden, and had no explanation behind it. So why, Sanji mused, did it happen?

It wasn't money. It couldn't be because of the restaurant in any way. Sanji knew that he never did anything, and he doubted Zeff did either. But what did that leave?

Wanting a change in scenery? Ya fucking right. The teen thought with a frown. There was a reason, he was just to dumb to see it. And with that depressing thought in mind Sanji shut his head off and sighed once again as he looked up at the sky and continued his walk.

* * *

"You're Sanji, right?!" The person in question jumped back slightly in surprise, making his spine dig into the steel and wooden chair as a smiling and black haired teen jumped onto his desk and shoved his face a mere inch away from the cooks.

"Um... Yes?" The blonde responded meekly as the others smile widened.

"I knew it! Usopp told me all about you!"

"Usopp..? Oh. The long-nosed kid?" Sanji asked with a thoughtful look planted on his features.

"Yep, that's him!" The boy nodded merrily as he crossed his legs and leaned his elbows against his knees, leaning his face back a bit as they spoke, but still much too close to the blondes personal bubble. "And you saved his ass yesterday, so thanks for helping out my sharpshooter!"

'Sharpshooter?' The taller of the two asked himself with a cocked brow before shaking his head and pushing the others face further back with his middle finger. "No problem... But do you mind fucking off? Your breath smells like rotting fish."

"...I LIKE YOU! SHEHEHE!" Luffy yelled, smile widening beyond possible measures as he laughed and held his stomach tightly. "SO! I think you should be my cook, and join my crew!"

"I'll pass. But thanks for the offer." Sanji replied almost immediately as other students began cramming themselves into the classroom, all of them surprisingly ignored the teen on his desk.

"No. I refuse your refusal."

"W-What?" Sanji asked as the other crossed his arms and spoke.

"You heard me! You are going to be my cook. I already decided." Luffy's smile remained firm as he spoke, while Sanji could do nothing but furrow his brows and clench his teeth in confusion. Who was this weirdo?

"I don't care what you decided! You can't just assume I'll go along with whatever you say. I don't even know who you are." Sanji pointed out in anger as the teacher finally showed up and instead of telling the student to sit, simply rolled his eyes and smiled as he sat at his own desk and waited for the bell.

"I'm Monkey. D. Luffy! Captain of the Straw Hat Pirates! And you are my new cook!" Luffy shouted, making Sanji blush slightly and attempt to hide his head into his collar as he noticed all the other students were staring at him. Before he could yell at the other to go away once more, the energetic boy jumped off the desk and landed on the floor as he adjusted his straw hat and smiled once more down at the blonde. "I'll talk to ya more at lunch, and introduce you to the others!"

And with that the kid walked out of the classroom and into the halls, leaving Sanji sitting in his chair in the most bewildered state possible.

Did he just join a gang?

* * *

As it turns out, Sanji's hair was a beacon in this school filled with Japanese teenagers. It was like turning a flashlight on in a dark room, impossible to miss. Which is exactly why the blonde was seated in the cafeteria next to Luffy, Usopp and 3 other students who he had yet to meet.

"Guys this is Sanji! The guy who saved Usopp and wiped the floor with those members of Kriegs crew! Sanji, this is Nami, Zoro, Franky and Usopp!" Luffy explained to the others with a wide smile before pushing Sanji into a seat and devouring his largely packed lunch.

"So, you fought with Krieg's goons?" The red-haired girl, Nami, asked with a frown as Sanji smiled brightly and clasped his hands together.

"Oh, well it was really nothing my dove!" He said happily, much to the males surprise. "Fate seems to have been playing in my favor however, if that small act landed me in your presence!"

"You're funny!" Luffy yelled through mouthfuls of food.

"Up yours." Was the blondes response, which just made the other male laugh even harder.

"So.. Um, thanks again for yesterday." Usopp said with a smile. "But I guess you changed your mind about joining us?"

"No. I didn't. This idiot just decided to drag me over here with no warning." Sanji explained with a frown as the green haired teen tsked.

"Well if you don't want to be here than leave." Zoro grumbled out as Sanji glared into the depths of his soul. The swordsman had actually been enraptured with the blonde as soon as his brown eyes set sights on him. He was stunning, foul mouthed, apparently a good fighter, and spoke his mind. He was, in simplest terms, perfect.

But like hell the green haired teen would ever voice this aloud, he thought with a frown. No, instead he would keep quiet and hope that whatever it was that he was feeling would pass quickly. He didn't like people after all, he just dealt with those around him, so like hell he would crush on this playboy looking cook.

"Glady, moss-head." The blonde ground out before going to stand up, but was forced back down by Luffy who held a surprising large amount of strength in his small form.

"No! You are staying! Zoro, be nice!" The captain yelled, but not in an angry tone as he continued to eat.

"Heh. Ya, marimo. Be nice." Sanji muttered with a grin as the other tsked once more. The two simply glared at one another for what felt like hours as the tension built up like sparks of lightning between them until they were interrupted by Franky shouting.

"YO! I just realized that we have a complete crew now!" The blur haired, and much too large teenager shouted with a smile, which made Usopp and Luffy to cheer as well at the sudden realization.

"What? No! I'm not joining your fucking gang!"

"We should have a party to celebrate!" Luffy yelled, completely ignoring the blondes protests as he roped an arm around the slim male next to him, who shrugged off the arm almost as soon as it landed upon his form.

"Are you deaf? I said no!" Yet again however, the teen went unheard as the three began talking loudly about their plans for the party.

"I'd just roll with it, Sanji-kun. Once Luffy sets his mind to something it's as if it's written in stone." Nami explained with a sly smile as she sipped on some orange juice concoction.

"But... Ugh..." Sanji attempted to reply but stopped as he realized he had nothing to say in his own defense. It's not as though he couldn't join this crew thingy after all, since he didn't work anymore and had more free time than ever before. But still, he didn't want to get to involved with others, especially at this age.

They would just leave you for dead if they had the chance anyways. Why get close to people who care about nothing but themselves?

The chef shook that thought from his head as he tapped the table in front of him lightly, the shouts from Luffy and Franky seemed to be nothing more than a buzz in his mind as his thoughts directed towards having a smoke.

He needed one now more than ever.

* * *

Tbc.


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer : I don't own One Piece or any of it's characters.

A/N : Few comments before starting regarding the latest reviews!

-Gg : Your nose is right on the money good sir! I am aiming for a nice harem, but you never know with my wacky ass and unplanned stories xD Thank you so much for the review!

-Guest : I personally am not a fan of Sanji's behavior towards women, but it is what makes Sanji Sanji so it will be included, just not to the extreme :) Thanks for the nice review though~

And that is all, so without further ado, please enjoy!~

NOTE: Some names get erased once I upload the chapters, I fixed them all now but this is just a warning for the future :)

* * *

Sanji had never before wanted to kick someones teeth in more than he did right now. And it wasn't even for the reasons you may be thinking, no. It was because this new little group of 'friends' that the blonde had apparently wondered into were hated by a lot of other students. Meaning, he had been getting into both verbal and physical scuffles all damn day.

Granted, a lot liked the 'Straw Hats', but those were typically the weak looking kids and female students. But the students who looked like they ate nails for breakfast with no milk? Ya, they were the ones who wanted to take them all down. A concept that Sanji still wasn't fully comprehending since the other schools he had attended didn't have the same concept as this one, it was more like the hood than a school.

"Hey!" The blonde was pulled out of his thoughts as a gruff and hostile sounding voice yelled in his direction. At least, he assumed it was towards him since he was the only other occupant in the washroom. "I heard the Straw Hats got a hot new member, but I didn't think it would be true~"

Sanji inhaled deeply to keep his anger in check as he scrubbed his hands under the warm water. You'd think that word would spread on how he landed 12 kids in the hospital yesterday, but no. Instead they, like any other person to meet Sanji, assumed he was just some pretty boy who couldn't throw a punch to save his life. Which he wouldn't, he was more of a kicks kinda guy, but the point still remained.

"Yo, I'm talking to you!" The other teen apparently didn't fancy the silent treatment as they walked closer to the blonde, who was now rinsing the soap suds off of his thin hands. Sanji jumped however in shock as a large and beefy hand made sharp contact with his ass. "Nice~"

The cook didn't even bother to get a good look at the kid before he aimed his leg up and kicked him firmly in the mouth, relishing in the loud snaps that echoed throughout the room as his teeth were harshly removed from his skull.

The teen flew out of the bathroom door, snapping the wood into 2 symmetrical pieces as blood flowed from his mouth in ribbons of anguish before he landed harshly on the floor in the hallway. The blonde tsked under his breath and mentally berated himself for losing control like that as he quickly dried off his hands before stepping into the hall calmly, ignoring the many eyes that followed him, and speed-walked towards his next class.

Zeff had promised to maim him if he were to start any fights, as in get caught fighting, so he just hoped that the other students were smart enough to not mention him being there as he slipped into his art class and took his assigned seat.

* * *

Of course luck was not playing in the blondes favor as he sat outside the principles office, hands placed firmly on his cheeks as his elbows leaned against his knees. He wasn't sure why he was here, although he could safely guess, and either way it was never good to get called to the office on your second day of school.

Zeff couldn't even be mad though, right? The teen thought with a frown. It wasn't his fault in the slightest that the kid lost his teeth, or that the other ones that bothered to pick a fight with him are now in the hospital. He never instigated anything. He was the victim-

No, the blonde couldn't even call himself that. He was never a victim, as he's been told several times before, he was stronger, thus making him the one who needed to take the high route and ignore others abuse. But how could he just sit there and take it?! It wasn't in the chefs nature to take shit from anyone, but he blamed that on being raised in a hostile kitchen.

"Huh. So the pretty boy's in trouble." The teen shot his shoulders back and looked to his right at the green haired student who had taken the seat to his side.

"Shut it, asshat." Sanji retorted before leaning back against his arms. He really wasn't in the mood to talk with this guy, especially since they were so aggressive towards one another upon first glance. He wasn't even sure why, he just knew that he hated the larger male.

"Chill, swirly-brow-"

"The fuck did you just call me?!" Sanji interrupted as he shot himself back up and glared daggers at the larger teen, who cocked his eye in turn.

"What? You didn't know?" He asked slyly, in the most mocking manner Sanji had ever heard. Which only helped the fuel the fiery anger that was building up in the blondes chest.

"It's a genetic defect. I'm sure you know all about those." The blonde gestured towards the others scalp, making him growl under his breath at the insult.

"You are just asking for a fight, aren't you?" Zoro growled out as he crossed his arms above his well built chest.

"Like you would be much of one. Now fuck off, I'm not going to start a fight in front of the fucking principles office. I'm in enough shit as is." Sanji mumbled with a frown.

"Can't leave, I'm in shit too. But why are you here? Get caught smoking or something?" Zoro asked, not wanting to admit it, but he was actually really curious as to why the blonde had gotten into trouble on his second day at the school. He doubted it was because of his fight in Usopp's defense, since it was after school hours and the idiot principle didn't bother to get involved in scuffles like that.

"How did you know I smoked?" Was the confused response.

"At lunch you were tapping your finger against the table. Thought it was just a nervous thing but you started biting your lip too-Not that I was paying attention!" The larger man shot off with a slight blush as Sanji's eyes widened in shock. "It's just those are two very obvious 'craving a smoke' habits!"

"...Huh. Didn't think it was that noticeable... But no, I'm not in here for smoking. It's probably because I maaay of smashed someones skull open before my last period..."

"Why?" Zoro asked calmly, although he was actually genuinely surprised at the statement.

"I didn't want to, before you assume shit. I was in the bathroom and the asshole thought it was a smart idea to..." Sanji blushed before waving his hand slightly, as if to brush off his previous remark. "What he did doesn't matter, but I overreacted and kicked his face through the door."

"Oh, I was wondering why the mens room's door was missing..." Zoro commented lightly, as if to calm the other down.

"Heh. Ya, I guess they cleaned it up. But ya that's why I'm here. What about you?" Sanji asked as he gently clenched the rim of his shirt between his fists, eyes still downcast on his knees as he spoke to the other.

"Told off my teacher. He yelled at me for dying my hair, apparently I was being a distraction in class." The buff teen rolled his eyes as he recalled why he had gotten into trouble, but Sanji's thoughts were elsewhere.

"Do you?"

"Do I what?"

"Dye your hair."

"No. I don't, which just makes me even more pissed off since he knows that it's natural. It's on my fucking ID card." Zoro replied in anger as Sanji scoffed and chuckled.

"Well, if it helps you feel any better, people think I dye my hair too." He shrugged as Zoro finally looked over his shoulder at the other teen.

"Wait, really? But blonde is a natural color isn't it?"

"Yep. But mine isn't, it's too bright or some shit so the teachers in my last school actually tried to convince me to dye it to a more bland shade. As well as shave my eyebrows."

"Pfft. It's stupid how a teacher can yell at you for doing something, then try to force you to do that exact thing because it helps their case."

"Tell me about it... Oh god, you do realize what we are doing right?" Sanji asked in both shock and feigned disgust as Zoro furrowed his brows in confusion.

"No?"

"We're RELATING to one another. Gross."

The two then broke in laughter at the realization. Zoro had honestly not laughed in quite some time, even with his friends being who they were, so it felt nice to finally just let go and laugh with the blonde who was calming himself down in turn and wiping away a stray tear from his sea blue eyes.

Another thing that the moss headed teen wouldn't admit to is that the other had a very nice laugh. It was deep yet smooth like if honey had a voice and drew everyone towards it. It was a laugh that fueled other laughter, no matter how idiotic the joke may of been. And the smile...

Zoro couldn't help but blush as he looked at the blonde, who had a large and bright smile placed on his pale features, showing off more pearly white teeth than what was humanely possible as his cheeks stretched up to his eyes.

'Beautiful...' The swordsman thought before shaking his head frantically and looking back at the wall to his right. What the hell was going on with him? He asked himself as the two finally calmed down and sat in a comfortable silence together. This wasn't like him... Not at all, and he was honestly getting a little scared at the feelings that were beginning to coarse through his being.

"Sanji Blackleg?" The secretary asked aloud, which made the blonde in question look over at her. "Mr. Crocodile will see you now."

Sanji sighed as he stood up and grabbed his messenger bag, he swung it around his shoulder before quickly waving a goodbye to Zoro, who jokingly saluted in turn. The chef couldn't help but chuckle as he entered the office and closed the door behind him, he just hoped that this went by quickly and that they didn't bother to call in Zeff.

* * *

"Please take a seat, Sanji." The blonde did so with no question as the black haired man behind the desk stared him down. "I have heard some recent reports of you being harassed since you joined us?"

...Huh? Sanji blinked in shock. He wasn't expecting this, but he wasn't about to argue against it, especially since that means that he isn't in trouble. His heart quickly began to slow down into a more calm manner as he realized Zeff wouldn't need to be called.

"Um... Well I wouldn't really say that." Sanji replied softly as he shrugged.

"Then what would you say?" Crocodile asked with a cocked brow as he clasped his fingers together, eyes not moving away from the blonde who shrugged once more.

"That teenagers are stupid... Really no use in making a big deal out of this, sir." The cook said with a small smile. "Nothing I can't handle."

The elder man didn't bother to respond as he stood up from his seat and calmly walked over to Sanji, who kept his smile firm, even if he was incredibly confused on why the man had decided to walk behind him. His questions were answered however as he felt large and rough hands clasp onto his shoulders, and gently rub against the fabric of his loose, blue sweatshirt.

...What was happening?

"You know, we are a friendly bunch here, ." Sanji chuckled nervously as the man spoke, trying his hardest to process what exactly the goal here was. "And we are here to help you, whenever you may need it."

"I-um. I'm good actually, right as rain! Hehe... Um, I just remembered though, that my step-father said he was picking me up today, I better head out before he starts to worry." Sanji went to stand himself up but was stopped as the large hands pressed harder down onto his shoulders, pushing him back into the chair almost as soon as he left it.

"It's been so long since we have had a student like you... You're like a little prince with the aura you give off, don't you think?" Crocodile practically purred as he massaged deeper into the thin shoulders, making Sanji wince and panic as the man leaned closer to his ear and inhaled deeply. " ... Mr. Prince, Sounds much better than Blackleg... I think I'll call you that from now on~"

"I...Um, what are you doing?" Sanji finally asked as he felt his fingers twitch in panic.

"I just want you to be honest with me, Mr. Prince." The teen didn't bother to correct him on the weird name as the taller man finally let go of his shoulders, but still remained planted behind his seat. "Are you getting bullied?"

"No. I'm not...Sir." Sanji shakily answered before shooting himself up and grabbing his bag. "And I'm honestly feeling very uncomfortable, so I'm just going to-"

Sanji turned on his heel with his mind set on running full tilt out of the confining room, but was stopped once again as the older man boxed him against the desk, trapping him in front of the furniture with two meaty arms on either side of his thin form.

"Uncomfortable? Why would you be feeling that way?"

"...Please let me leave..." Sanji mumbled out as he clenched his hand against the wood behind him, making a spiderweb of cracks run along the brown desk.

"...OK, you are free to go. But do know that you can come to me at anytime if you are having any trouble." The man then backed off of the blonde with a smile and moved back to sit behind his desk as Sanji let out a shaky breath and quickly ran out of the room, not bothering to respond to the mans statement as he slammed the door shut behind him.

"So, how much trouble are you in?" Zoro asked with a smirk, but it quickly turned into a frown as the blonde simply ran past him, face contorted in fear and panic as his mind tried to make sense on what just occurred.

He ran threw the empty halls, happy that classes let out before he went into the office as he ran out of the front doors, where he finally allowed himself to calm down.

"Ha...ha..." He panted deeply as he leaned against the brick walls of the building and shakily reached into his pocket for a smoke. His fingers felt as though they were vibrating as he finally pulled out his box of Lucky Death cigarettes, and he didn't waste a moment before shoving a filter into his mouth and lighting up the cancer stick in one fluid motion. His first inhale took out half of the smoke, and immediately calmed his nerves as he slid down the bricks and landed firmly on his rear.

'Why...? What the hell was all of that?' Sanji asked himself as he gently scratched his scalp with one hand as the other took the cigarette from his mouth, allowing himself to exhale the white plumes in a slow and calming motion.

"Hey... You alright?" The blonde jumped slightly and shot to attention as the sudden voice rang through the air, but calmed himself down once he noticed it was only Zoro.

"...Ya, I'm fine. You um, shouldn't you be in the office?" Sanji asked, trying to keep his voice in check as he took another puff of the smoke with more relaxed features.

"Nah, fuck him. It's not like he'll actually punish me or anything. Think he's scared of me." Zoro said roughly, but anyone could sense the joking nature as he planted himself next to the blonde. Sanji on the other hand didn't feel like laughing at the moment.

"Lucky..." He mumbled, making Zoro look over at him and glare.

"What the hell happened in there?" He asked firmly, making Sanji furrow his brows in confusion.

"Since when do you care?" He asked mockingly. "Matter of fact, since when does anyone care?! I've known you for a fucking day and you think you can just-"

Sanji shook his head frantically and burrowed his face into his knees, not wanting to see the others face after his little outburst, but instead he just wished that the ground would eat him up and save him from this situation.

Zoro on the other hand, felt confused on why the teen broke down so suddenly. He was perfectly fine before entering the principles office, so what the hell could of happened in there to make the other act this way?

"...Do you curl your eyebrows?" Zoro asked after a short moment in a thoughtful tone.

"...What?" Sanji took his head out of his knees and glared at the other, who shrugged in return.

"Hey it's a good question. I've never seen anyone with eyebrows as fucked up as yours. Can't be natural."

"Well then I guess we're even because I've never seen someone attempt to grow a lawn on their head."

The two glared one another down for what felt like hours before standing up and without question, landing blows. They both seemed to be throwing in their best moves, which only proved how on level the two were as they eventually took their brawl onto the large football field, which Sanji was thankful for since now he could actually do a handstand without worrying about the gravel cutting into his skin.

"Marimo!" Sanji yelled, aiming a kick at the others skull.

"Curly-que!" Zoro retorted, blocking the attack with an open palm.

"Moss-head!" A landed kick to the stomach.

"Blondie!" A punch to the shoulder.

"Flowerbed!" A kick to the knee.

"Duck!" A blocked punch.

"CUNT!"

The two paused and simply stared at one another before breaking down into laughter. They fell onto their knees and eventually their backs as they simply laughed and stared up at the darkening sky.

"...Is the principle always so... Creepy?" Sanji asked finally as he stretched out his body on the cool grass.

"Creepy? Don't think so... Why?" Zoro asked as he folded his arms behind his skull.

"Well, he thought I was being bullied... So he asked me about that but then he walked behind my chair and just... I don't know, he was just super creepy." Sanji explained with a frown, although he was happy that he could say what occurred and not fear the response. He didn't know why, but he was too relaxed to even bother thinking on why he felt the need to tell the other teen this.

The last time something like this happened he tried to tell his teachers, but they just laughed at him and pushed it aside as if he was the one at fault. So it felt nice to be able to talk to someone his own age about this.

"Seriously? Well... By the looks of it you could of easily kicked his ass. So why didn't you?"

Sanji grinned slightly at the hidden compliment before shrugging.

"I'd rather not go through the hassle of having 'beat up principle' on my record. Besides, my old man would probably kill me." He explained with yet another sigh before he blinked and looked over at Zoro. "But I'd rather just forget that happened... Tell me a story asshole."

"...What?" Zoro chuckled with furrowed eyebrows at the random request.

"A story. You know what a story is, don't you?" Sanji asked mockingly as Zoro scoffed and rolled his eyes.

"Shut it. What kinda story?"

"One about you and the others... The 'Straw Hats', which by the way, terrible fucking name."

"No it isn't. Luffy wears a straw hat, and he's the captain."

"Whoa. Creative."

"Shut your mouth. Now.. Um I guess I could tell you about how we found Brook?"

"Brook?" Sanji asked as he leaned onto his side so he was looking at the other with full attention. Zoro blushed slightly at the attention as he stayed on his back and continued.

"Our musician. He's so old he could practically be a skeleton, but it was pretty crazy how we found him cause we needed to take down some zombie loving freak..."

Sanji smiled as Zoro told his story, being sure not to leave out any details as the two layed in the football field and waited for the sun to go down.

* * *

Tbc.


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer : I don't own One Piece or any of it's characters.

A/N : Thanks you all for all the encouraging reviews on this story! It really pushes me to continue it, so they are all really appreciated. Also, I have no idea how many chapters this may turn out to be, probably around the 20-30 zone if all goes to plan~

So enjoy!~

* * *

Zoro sighed lightly as he shoved his hands into the deepest section of his pockets and idly played with the dust bunnies and wrappers that had been buried in the depths as his mind wondered aimlessly. He had been laying in the fields with Sanji for a good 3 hours telling countless stories on his little groups adventures as they watched the sun go down.

Well, they weren't laying the entire time. The swordsman thought with a grin as he rubbed the bruise on his cheek. They had gotten into at least 3 fights during their time in the field, all of which ended in ties. They were perfectly matched in regards to strength, which is something that Zoro didn't have a set opinion on. He had trained his body, and continued to do so, for years and this blonde cook comes into the picture and can match him? When he looks like he has never even lifted up a weight let alone pick a fight with someone.

But Zoro knew more than anymore not to judge a book by it's cover, especially with how his friends were. Luffy looked like a skinny goof-ball, but he could knock anyone out with a single punch. It was crazy, but understandable since Zoro would never find himself following anyone less than their captain.

The tanned teen was pulled out of his musings as his cellphone began to blare in his pocket, erupting the Jaw's theme song into the air. He rolled his eyes as he answer it in one quick motion, already knowing who was on the other end.

"What's up, Ace?" He asked as he looked up at the stars, wincing slightly once he noticed how late it was, and how much shit he was going to get in with his roomates once he got home. They all knew that it wasn't safe to walk around once the lights were off, and for a short moment Zoro couldn't help but feel worried for the cook. He shook the thought however as he remembered just how skilled the other teen was, if he could hold his own against him then he would be fine.

"Dude you need to come to my place this Friday! I finally popped the question to Smoker, and guess what he said?"

Zoro chuckled as his friend railed off, Ace was Luffy's older brother and far more mature than the younger teen. He was a firefighter who lived just outside of town with his boyfriend, who he supposed was his fiance now, Smoker, who was a police officer.

"No?" He joked as Ace scoffed on the other end.

"You wish, then you could have me all to yourself. But naw, he said yes! We are having a huge party this Friday to celebrate. I already called up the others but you wouldn't answer. The hell were you up to?" Zoro couldn't help but blush slightly as he croaked out an answer.

"I was just... Training."

"...Oh my god, you were with someone!" Ace yelled in genuine surprise as he noticed the tone of voice his friend had portrayed. It was foreign to the swordsman, so hearing him speak like that was something Ace would pay to hear again.

"What?! No I wasn't!" The other shouted.

"Dude, you can't lie to me. So, who was it? You didn't seem to be interested in... Well anyone for as long as I've known you!"

"I... I'm not. I was just talking with the new kid."

"New kid, huh? Sounds hot." Ace chuckled as Zoro rolled his eyes.

"Shut it. His names Sanji,-"

"Oh!" Ace interrupted him with an unseen smile. "Ya, Luffy and the others were telling me about him earlier today. A tall, lean, blonde cook who is now apart of your little crew?"

"Ya... He saved Usopp's ass on his first day, and the second Luffy heard about him he made it his life goal to make him join us."

"Ha. That's just like him... So you like him, right?"

"No! Why does everyone keep saying that?!"

"Because it's true! I can hear it in your voice, hot thang." Ace chuckled before growing more serious. "He sounds great, Zoro. And from what I hear you two are perfect for one another."

"He's straight. It wouldn't matter if I liked him anyways, he turned into a puddle of goo when he saw Nami." Ace laughed on the other end as Zoro continued his walk. Having said this out loud made the fact that he actually felt something for the cook all the more real.

"Did you tell him she's gay? Also, he's not as straight as you may think. No one who wears lavender shampoo is straight."

"What, how the fuck do you know what his hair smells like?"

"Luffy is VERY descriptive when it comes to new people. When he first met you he made sure to include the fact that you smelled like sweaty socks, but that was OK because you were hella cool."

"Fucking Luffy..." Zoro growled out with a roll of his eyes as the other laughed harder before calming himself down and yawning into the phone.

"Well, I'm going to let you go. I'll see ya on Friday!" Ace then made a variation of kissing noises before Zoro hung up and shook his head in mock annoyance. While he was at it though he pulled up his phones history and winced as he saw all the missed calls from both Ace and Luffy.

He was going to get an earful once he got home, but he couldn't help but think that it was all worth it for the enjoyable evening that he had.

* * *

"Where the fuck were you, eggplant?!" Sanji winced as he stepped into his house and removed his shoes, he didn't even need to look at the time to know that it was late. But he honestly didn't think that it would be that big of a deal, especially since Zeff never seemed to care about that kinda thing before.

"I was out, geezer. Lay off." The leaner man responded in a hiss as the other crossed his arms above his chest and glared at the teen.

"I told you before to get home before the street lights turn on."

"Ya? And last I checked I was 18 years old, not fucking 10." Sanji growled as he walked into the kitchen, mind set on making something light for dinner, but stopped as he noticed a plate was already put aside for him and staying warm under their heat lamp. He grabbed it without a word of thanks as he sat himself down in front of the television, being sure to set his backpack onto the floor before digging into his Chicken Alfredo. Zeff sat next to him and sighed softly, catching the teens attention. "..What's the big deal anyways? You know I can hold my own in a fight."

"That's not what I'm worried about you idiot."

"Is..." Sanji stopped himself with a sigh. "Does the sudden concern have anything to do with the move?"

Zeff didn't respond, instead he just changed the channel on the television to the weather network, making Sanji clench his teeth together in anger before he decided to just drop it and finish his food. They sat in an uncomfortable silence after that, and were only interrupted a few moments later by the sound of Sanji's phone going off.

He cocked a brow in confusion as the phone rang out the tune to 'I Just Wanna Be King', from the Lion King. Cheeks dusting pink in embarrassment the teen pulled out the phone and looked over the caller ID.

It was Luffy, Sanji thought with a cock of his brow. He had forgotten that they had exchanged numbers at lunch, but he knew that he wouldn't of set the ringtone to something this stupid. Guess the other teen stole his phone when he wasn't paying attention.

"Hello?" Sanji asked calmly after answering the phone and kicking his feet onto the table in front of him and Zeff, who was looking over at the teen through the corner of his eye.

"Hi Sanji! It's Luffy!" Sanji couldn't help but roll his eyes at the exclamation.

"I know, dumbass. What's up?"

"Oh! Well my brother is getting married!" Luffy yelled happily, and Sanji could practically feel the smile being projected at him.

"That's great, Luffy... Is that why you called?" Sanji asked as he set his empty plate onto the table before leaning back into the soft cushions.

"No! Well, yes! I called because he is throwing a big party to celebrate this Friday! I was wondering if you could come too?"

"Hm. I don't know, Luffy. I've never even met the guy, it would be a little weird to go to something as big as that as a stranger." Sanji mumbled as Luffy laughed aloud, making the blonde take the phone off of his ear for a moment at the loud tone. "Jesus, you trying to make me deaf?!"

"Shehe! Sorry, Sanji! But Ace is the one that invited you, I would of snuck ya in anyways, but I told him about you and how you just joined as my cook-"

"I did no such thing!"

"-and he wanted to meet you!" The captain continued, completely ignoring the others protest.

"Well... I don't know."

"Yes you do! You are coming! It's been decided!"

"No, it hasn't-"

"Yep! So we will just drive together after school, you can ride in my car with me, Zoro, Usopp, Chopper-"

"Chopper? Wait, you mean the Bio teacher?"

"Yep! He's my doctor! But make sure to wear your party clothes Friday! Bye, Sanji!" And with that the other teen hung up the phone and left Sanji to sit on the couch in confusion as he blinked harshly and listened to the repetitive beeps on the other end.

Finally the blondes brain clued in however and let himself shut the phone off before standing up to put his plate into the sink as he ignored his step-fathers eyes, which were glued to him the entire time he spoke and moved.

"What was that about, eggplant?"

"None of your fucking business. I can't know about the move, you can't know about my life." Sanji retorted in the most mature tone possible as he placed his empty plate into the sink before turning on his heel to go upstairs. Guess he had to find a good outfit for Friday, it may be a little early since it was only Tuesday but it was better to find something now, in case he were to change his mind throughout the week.

Which the blonde was sure to do.

* * *

Now Sanji has never felt nervous about social events, nor has he ever bailed on anything last minute, but at this very moment he was more than prepared to throw himself off of a bridge in order to avoid what he was sure to be a terrible day.

He was currently staring down at his bed in nothing but his tight pink underwear, eyes locked on the three different outfits that he had placed out throughout the week. Only now he was realizing that he never asked just how formal the party was going to be, so he was pretty much fucked. He didn't want to wear his full 5-piece suit in case that was too overboard, and just wearing a dress shirt and some slacks seemed lazy.

So with that thought in mind he mentally took out the two outfits on his bed, which left him with his light blue dress shirt, tight black dress pants, black socks, a black silk tie, and silver chain.

His mind was screaming at him to put on a vest, but it was also saying that having a tie made him that nice in between of 'too fancy' and 'barely trying'. So it would have to do. Not to mention he had to wear it all day, so in order to avoid any stains he grabbed his large white cardigan to throw on top. And it wouldn't hurt to pack an extra pair of pants. Just in case.

He may look weird at school, but he felt better knowing that his new 'friends' were all dressed up as well. If they looked weird, then they looked weird together. And for some reason, that thought put a smile on his face. But he quickly shook it off in favor of grabbing his outfit and heading to the bathroom as he hoped his step-father was still sleeping.

He was still only in his undees after all.

* * *

Tbc.

I know this was a short chapter, but it was just to do a little plot-cross and introduction to the party xD Shit's gonna heat up there~


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer : I don't own One Piece or any of it's characters.

A/N : Thank you all for the reviews! I honestly wasn't going to continue the story but they really help me keep going on it!

* * *

Sanji sighed deeply as he readjusted his all too tight collar for what felt like the 50th time that morning. He had yet to see the others, and he was feeling more than awkward in his present attire.

It wasn't obvious mind you. No, you couldn't even see his shirt due to the large white cardigan he had placed on top, but it was very hot and he was feeling more and more regret as the hours drone on. He should never of agreed to go to this party, he thought with a frown as he looked out of the window to his left, anything that his teacher was saying was completely ignored as he let his mind process what the afternoon was going to be like. Not only was he sure to not know anyone there, but it would be his first party with his new friends. Friends that he didn't hate mind you.

So this would be new for him, and he wasn't exactly good in new situations. Especially when he didn't know how to act, hell he didn't even know if this party was formal or not! What if he was overdressed? Or, lord forbid, under dressed?!

He bit his bottom lip in nervousness and clenched his thin fingers around his un-moving pencil. The last thing he wanted to do was embarrass himself in front of a bunch of people he wanted to impress, which is exactly why he simply agreed on making up some excuse at the end of the day that prevented him from going. Like... Zeff being hospitalized, ya that was good.

The blonde nodded to himself, as if to confirm his plan as he directed his attention back to his teacher, who was rambling on about how fractions worked.

Hopefully this lie goes smoothly, Sanji thought as he released his lip from between his pearly white teeth, because he always did have that stupid nervous habit whenever he lied. But he doubted they would notice that... Right?

* * *

"Sanji! I like your sweater, you look like a big marshmallow!" Sanji jumped slightly from his spot in the cafeteria. Luffy, who was obviously the source of the shout, plopped himself next to the teen who quickly held a hand above his mouth to stifle his laughter.

The shorter teen was clad in what can only be described as glitter. He was wearing a vest, similar to the ones he wore any other day the blonde saw him, but this one seemed to be be-dazzled and dipped in a pool of bright red glitter. It would of been comical on it's own, but the fact that the raven decided to wear sandals with some cut off black jeans made it all the more funny. At least, in Sanji's opinion.

"Luffy... What are you wearing?" Sanji asked slowly after an exhale of breath. He didn't want to insult the other, but it was an odd outfit to even an uncultured eye.

Luffy cocked a brow as he re-arranged his ever present straw hat.

"My fancy clothes! Duh!"

"Pfft..." Sanji clenched his fingers around his mouth and nose as the other crossed his arms above his lanky chest.

"Rude! I look good!"

"Ya, if you were going to the circus." The blonde mumbled through his giggles as the other gave him a soft slap on the arm, but he too was grinning from ear to ear as he heard the cooks laughter for the first time.

"I like circus'! The elephants are huuuge!" Luffy exclaimed as he threw his arms out to his sides, as if to broadcast how large the elephants truly were. "Do you like them?"

"Elephants?" Sanji asked, pulling out his bento as he kept his eyes locked on the other. He seemingly didn't notice the A.D.D like behavior the other was showing, or at least didn't comment on it.

"Circus'!"

"Oh, I've never been."

"WHAT?!" Luffy yelled, making Sanji smack him on the back of his head.

"Jesus, you are going to make me deaf!"

"We need to go to the circus next time it's in town!"

Sanji simply rolled his eyes but couldn't hold in a smile as Luffy too pulled out his much too large lunch box and began eating as the two waited for the others to show up. They didn't have to wait long however before Usopp ran up to the table before sitting down quickly and trying to regain his breath from the previous exercise. He too was dressed up in a brown dress shirt and black pants, which honestly helped lessen Sanji's earlier anxiety for being under dressed.

"Woah, wheres the fire?" The cook asked with furrowed brows as the curly haired teen shook his head, still panting.

"I... I ran into Krieg's goons... Had to run." The artist choked out as Luffy grit his teeth.

"Again?" He asked in the most serious tone Sanji had heard from the teen.

"Ya.. But I was much faster than them! Hey Sanji, did I tell you that I once out ran a cougar?" Usopp asked with a grin as he too pulled out a lunch, but he directed his attention more to his drink than anything.

"Like fuck." The blonde retorted before biting into a tempura shrimp.

"It's true! There I was, in the middle of the dessert-"

"Cougars aren't in the dessert."

"Hush! This one was!"

Sanji rolled his eyes once more as the teen railed off on a very obviously made up story. He did however take a quick peak over at Luffy, who seemed to of recovered from his earlier maturity, and was instead very cluelessly buying the story that Usopp was selling.

'Dink' Sanji thought with a chuckle as he simply relished in the moment with his two new friends. He still wouldn't admit to being in their crew, but he couldn't deny that they were good people. Albeit a little odd.

* * *

Nearing the end of the day Sanji found himself biting on his bottom lip once again, to a point were it drew blood, but the blonde paid it no mind as he attempted to focus on the lesson taking place by his clown looking art teacher.

At lunch he had spoken with the whole group, and couldn't bring himself to say that he didn't want to go to the party, so instead they all thought he was on board for the later event. Which made the cook feel like garbage since they were all psyched to go and he hated the very idea of being stuck at a strangers house all night. The thought of seeing Nami in that dress didn't help lessen his fears at all either, which only proved how much Sanji truly didn't want to go.

But he supposed that this would help ease his social anxiety? Or it would only make it worse... Either way if he went he just prayed that there was alcohol. Strong alcohol. Lots of strong alcohol.

The blonde chuckled softly at the thought, he was a terrible drunk. He never remembers anything that he did, but he hears stories which were more than enough to fully embarrass the chef since they were never pleasant, especially since he tends to sing any songs that pop into his mind. And he danced a lot. And picked fights... And was really 'sexy'.

Sanji shook his head at the thought with a frown etched on his features. His previous 'friends', if you could even call them that, got him wasted one night and posted all the photos of that night online. The cook was striking 'sexy' poses in almost all of them, which led to him being attacked almost everyday after that by older men and guys who thought he would be an easy fuck.

Ya, the blonde showed them real quick that he wasn't one to be fucked with. Literally.

There was a shred of fear that it would all happen again, but as soon as it entered his mind the fear was vanquished as he remembered who exactly he was going to be with. For some reason he doubted any of the members of the straw hats would do what they did. Especially since it didn't just stop at the photos...

The blonde shook his head once more as if to throw the thoughts away, he didn't want to remember what transpired that night. And he wished that he was drunk enough to forget it all...

 **Briiiing**

Sanji jumped up and was pulled out of his musings as the final bell of the day went off, and the students who had been counting down the seconds dashed out of the room, ignoring Mr. Bucky's yells of having their homework in on Monday. He on the other hand went at a much calmer pace as he stuffed his notebook and pencil into his bag and slung it over his shoulder before standing up and being the last to leave the room.

He walked down the hall with his hands shoved into his pockets, mind put on auto pilot as it led him to their 'meeting spot', which just so happened to be where he met Usopp.

"Sanji-kun!" The blonde in question directed his eyes at the orange haired teen who was waving him over from her perch on the school's brick wall. Hopefully she didn't dirty that pretty white dress, Sanji thought with a frown as he walked over to the girl.

"Nami-swan! I could see you a million times over and still be enraptured by your beauty!~" The blonde yelled as he threw himself down onto one knee and looked up at the woman, who simply rolled her eyes and hopped down from her perch, accepting the blondes outstretched hand of assistance.

"Ya, ya. You gonna take off that sweater? It's gonna be hot up at the cabin." Nami stated softly as the blonde cocked his visible brow.

"Cabin?"

"Ya? Didn't Luffy tell you- Of course he didn't. Well Smoker, Ace's soon to be husband, owns a cabin up in the woods. The party is being held there since Luffy would wreck their actual home." She explained as the others began to arrive.

"Ohh..." Sanji hummed as Usopp showed up and slung an arm around his shoulders, making him strain on his tip-toes to reach the taller teen.

"You excited?" He asked with a large smile as Sanji sighed.

"As long as I can get wrecked." He mumbled.

"Course, we are all drinking tonight after all." The other laughed as Sanji gave him a weak smile. Now was the last chance he would have at saying he didn't want to go...

"Oi, cook." Zoro grumbled as he neared the unformed group, making the blonde look over at him with bored eyes.

"What is it, moss-head?"

"The fuck are you wearing?" The broader teen asked, praying to the gods he didn't believe in that he wasn't blushing. The blonde in front of him was simply adorable after all in his tight black jeans, black converse, and big fluffy white cardigan that barely had his blue dress shirt peaking out of the top.

"It's called fashion, asshole. Besides, I'm not wearing the sweater all night, I just wore it to prevent any stains on my shirt." Sanji explained with a small amount of anger. He didn't want to get fashion advice from the guy in dark green jeans and a tank top that had a suit printed on the fabric.

"...You let him call you that?" Usopp mumbled out in Sanji's ear as the other cocked a brow in confusion for what felt like the hundredth time that day.

"Call him what?"

"Moss-head... He'd kill anyone else if they called him that." The other explained as Zoro rolled his eyes, obviously having heard the two's mumbles.

"Aw, does that mean I'm special, Marimo?" Sanji purred jokingly as the other glared at him. "Besides, I can call him whatever the fuck I want. It's not like he can do anything to stop me."

"Those are fighting words, blondie." Zoro grit out as the other simply grinned.

"Bring it then, muscle-head."

The two looked as though they were about to throw fists and feet but were stopped as Nami slapped them both on the backs of their skulls.

"Knock it off you two." She yelled as Zoro grumbled insults under his breath, and the cook apologized.

"Hey guys!" Luffy yelled as he ran up to the group. "Let's head to my car, the others are already leavin!"

"What? Why?!" Nami asked in anger as Luffy chuckled and smiled.

"Cause I told them too! Lets go lets go lets go!~" And with that the others were left with no choice but to follow the running teen until they winded up in the parking lot in front of a black and old looking vehicle that was covered in paintings and stickers, which is something that Sanji chose not to comment on as he got into the back seat next to Zoro, who was stuck in the middle.

The five shared idly conversation as Luffy began driving, something Sanji was actually pretty scared of as a sudden realization made him slap himself on the forehead, catching the attention of Zoro, who cocked an eye at the teen who simply shrugged it off with a smile. He inwardly was seething however as his heart pounded in his chest.

Now he had no choice but to go to the party.

* * *

Tbc.


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer : I don't own One Piece or any of it's characters

* * *

Zoro sighed lightly under his breath as he crossed his beefy arms above his broad chest. The talk that he had previously had with his friend Ace fueled thoughts in the swordsman that opened up a whole new territory for the man, especially since Zoro had never even thought of focusing on anything more than his training up until this point. But now, as he sat crammed in the backseat of Luffy's car with the man of his current thoughts pressed up against his right side, he couldn't help but think of the conversation in full.

There was no way that he liked the cook. Granted, the large teen couldn't help but admit to the obvious and how Sanji was attractive, a skilled fighter, a wonderful chef - he got to taste his cooking on Thursday since he made him Onigiri, so Zoro would stop calling him a shitty cook - and a kind person. But that meant nothing. Lots of people were attractive after all, but what was really bugging Zoro was that he had never ever THOUGHT of anyone as being attractive before.

It was only the cook.

And he wouldn't exactly say that the thought scared him, but it was new. And the man couldn't help but think that it all meant something. A small smile adorned the green haired teens lips as he remembered the events of Tuesday, when the cook and him talked and fought in the school football field.

He had felt nothing but bliss, relaxation, and clear minded on that afternoon. Which was very odd and off putting for the teen who felt the need to be constantly on his guard at all times. But even with the short-tempered cook to his side, he felt relaxed... As if he had nothing to worry about in those very moments of life.

And the cook never bored him. They knew one another for less than a week but the fact still remained that Zoro never once got tired of the fights, the banter, his voice... He honestly couldn't get enough of the others very obviously smoke filled voice. It was deep yet smooth, and as he has already pointed out about the others laugh, it was just like honey.

But again, Zoro couldn't help but think that he may just be on his guard because he was new and they knew absolutely nothing about the teens past. Just like with Robin.

He frowned at the thought. He never thought of her as much as he was thinking on the cook, and he really couldn't compare the two situations since he did in fact trust the cook. He hated to admit it, but he never even felt the need to suspect the blonde of hurting his nakama, which just confused him even more since it denied that he was thinking on him so much due to suspicions.

"Oi, moss-head!" Zoro blinked and looked over his shoulder at the cook who pulled him out of his previous musings.

"What?" Sanji glared at the other.

"Stop digging your elbow into me. You're crushing my fucking ribs." Oh. Another thing to add to the list of things about Sanji was that he swore. A lot.

"Maybe if you weren't just skin and bones it wouldn't hurt so much, pansy." Zoro defended himself as he moved his arms so they were leaning on his knees and not touching the other teen.

"Up yours, jerk. I am not skinny."

"Um. Ya you are. I can literally wrap my hand around your forearm."

"Fuck you!"

"Gladly!"

There was a deep silence in the car as Sanji blinked hard and looked at Zoro with stunned features. Luffy swerved the car to the side in shock, Nami held her mouth open as she looked back at the two through the rear-view mirror, and Usopp did everything he could to hide his laughter as Zoro blushed furiously and shook his head.

"I meant I'll fuck you UP. Idiot." Sanji blinked once more and glared at the teen at the sudden threat.

"I would love to see you try, Marimo. You'll end up with a boot through the teeth."

And the back and forth fight was on as the two got a mere centimeter apart from one another as they screamed in each others faces.

The three remaining people in the car didn't even have the will to stop them as they all shared looks. After the initial shock, Nami and Luffy were smiling along with Usopp, who just nodded his head towards the two in the front. They all knew that the shout wasn't an accident or a hidden threat. This was Zoro they were talking about, he was someone who spoke his mind and never misspoke.

And now they all knew that they needed to do everything in their power to get the two together. And as they took a final look into one another's eyes, they made a mutual pact of playing cupid.

* * *

"Hey guys! Glad you all could make it!" A freckle faced teen ran out of the wooden cabin that Luffy had pulled in front of. "Everyone else is insi- Holy shit..."

Ace's eyes widened as he threw on an award winning grin and slicked his hair back before he swayed his hips over to Sanji, who was just stepping out of the car with Zoro close on his heels.

"Hellllo, hot stuff~ You must be Sanji~" Ace grabbed the confused teens hand and placed a soft kiss on the back of his hand as he winked up at the blonde.

"Um.. Hey..." Sanji responded with a nervous laugh as he gently pried his hand out of the others grasp, who sat himself back up and smiled at him once again.

"I'm Ace, this little clowns brother." The cowboy hatted man stated merrily as he pulled Luffy into a headlock, and began rubbing his hair from under his hat.

"Oi! Ace!" Luffy yelled, but you could hear the joy lacing his tone as his brother let him go with a laugh. Sanji backed up slightly, so his arm was pressed up against Zoro's as Ace moved back up to him, practically breathing the same air as him.

The blonde went to speak and ask why he was so close, but stopped as the slightly taller man took a deep inhale of his hair and pulled back.

"You do smell like lavender!" He yelled with a smile as Sanji shakily smiled back, but he couldn't bring himself to respond. He was too weirded out.

"Ace!" Zoro mumbled with a glare as Ace held up his arms in surrender.

"Cool your jets, just wanted to confirm." The firefighter said with his grin still present before he shrugged and gestured towards the large wooden cabin. "Why don't you guys come on in? I got the booze and snacks all set out."

Luffy shot into the house the moment 'snacks' was uttered out of his brothers mouth, which then made the others follow suit as Sanji stood out front the cabin for a moment. It wouldn't be that bad, he thought to himself as he finally shrugged off his jacket and threw it into Luffy's backseat on top of his bag. His body was heating up as the thought of being trapped in that cabin ran through his mind, and he was afraid that even though he caked on at least a pound of deodorant, that he would sweat and get gross with no way of changing his shirt.

He was mentally kicking himself for not bringing a spare. He did have extra pants, but now that he thought about that, they were pointless since he didn't sweat on his fucking legs.

The cook then took in a large inhale and stepped into the opened cabin door. He looked around idly and stepped back in shock once he noticed both his History and Biology teachers were present. One of which had a glass of wine placed in her fingers, while the other was sipping on a juice box. Sanji tip toed his way over to Usopp and gently whispered in his ear.

"Umm... Why are there teachers here?" He asked in panic. There was no way he wanted to go through the day sober. But like hell he was going to drink in front of two people that determine his grade.

"Huh? Oh! I guess we forgot to tell you." Usopp started as he turned to look at the taller blonde. "Robin is our archaeologist, Luffy made her join the crew last year when-"

"No, ya Zoro already told me all that... I just didn't think that Robin was the Robin that teaches me History..." He said, which made Usopp cock an eye in confusion.

"Wait, ZORO told you?" He asked "What is going on between you two?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well Zoro has never been... Open with anyone. So for him to tell you about us is a big deal... And he lets you call him all those nicknames..." Sanji scoffed and rolled his eyes as he leaned against the wall, eyes directed at Luffy who was devouring the snack table but kept his focus locked on the teen next to him.

"We hate each other. That's how it works when you meet someone you really don't like, you insult one another. They aren't nicknames. And the stories weren't really detailed. More like he was warning me of your members so I didn't say anything that would insult them. So he was basically just looking out for you all."

Usopp looked at him for a moment before blinked and sighing dramatically and walking away from the teen, who simply stood there wondering what he did wrong before the artist returned with a shot in his hand.

"Drink this and pray drunk you is more honest."

Sanji hummed a noise of confusion and spared a small glance over at his teachers, thankful that they were looking at Luffy before he shot back the drink in one smooth motion. He then grinned over at Usopp.

"Let's get fucking wrecked."

* * *

"Hehehehe!" Sanji laughed with a hand covering his mouth as Luffy drew him a self-portrait. It looked like someone barfed on the paper and for some reason that seemed to tickle his funny bone. "N-No! I'm not that ugly! Haha!"

"Whhaaaa? But it looks just like you." Luffy complained with a smile, obviously enjoying the others intoxicated state.

"Can-Can I keep that?" Sanji mumbled before taking a large gulp of an unmarked bottle. "My fridge needs it!"

"Of course! I'll even sign it! Anything for the fans!"

Luffy then proceeded to sign the sheet with flourish as Sanji burst into another spur of laughter at the action. The blonde didn't seem to notice either that the other members of the party seemed to crowd around the two, smiling as they watched the blonde come out of his shell.

"T-Thanks!" Sanji said with a smile as he grabbed the paper gently between his fingers, as if holding a piece of art as he folded into a neat little square before putting it into his shirts chest pocket. "Is treasure..."

"Pirate treasure?" Luffy asked.

"Yesh! Cause I am a pi-pirate... AAAAAAAAAA nice pirate though... W-Who gives out hugs!" That was the only warning Luffy got before Sanji flung himself at the teen and hugged him around his middle, squishing his face up against the others surprisingly hard chest as he laughed.

Luffy wrapped his arms around the other as he too shot off into laughter.

"You are the best! Let's just keep you drunk!"

"Nooo! Den the goblins will come!" Sanji yelled in a fearful tone as Luffy gasped.

"Goblins?!"

"Mmhmm! They seat toes... A-And they don't even marinade them first! Barbaric!"

Sanji stayed planted on the captains front, who didn't mind in the slightest, as Usopp grabbed the bottle from his hands. He didn't seem to notice however as he took the glass out of the bag and read the label.

"Holy shit- This is straight vodka, who gave him this?!" Usopp asked in shock as the others all laughed.

"I did!" Sanji yelled back. "A-And I would advise you not to*urp*to shout! Cause I am a victim!"

"A victim, huh?" Ace asked with a smile as he planted himself on the love seat next to Smoker, who hadn't spoken much that evening.

"Yesh! Of... Being too damn fine!"

"Jesus Christ!" Ace burst out into laughter, as did all the others as Sanji got off his brother and burped lightly before moving over to the snack table, where all the booze was placed.

"Hey, I think you're good." Zoro cut in, completely sober even though he was sure that he drank just as much as the blonde. Sanji then proceeded to slap him on the arm.

"No! Only I can be... Have... What were we talking about? Oh, ya I needs that booze m-man... Don't starve me! I don't wanna do t-that again!" Sanji wailed as walked forward but tripped on the carpet, and face planted onto the floor. "Hey floor! Make me some-some cereal please..."

"Again?" Zoro mumbled to himself as he leaned down and tapped the now silent cook on the back of his head. "Oi, you dead?"

"I wish... But naw. C-Can you get me*urp* some beer? I think I mi-might need some."

"No. You need some water before you kill your kidneys."

"Pfft. I won't kill no one! I am an angle."

"An angle?"

"Mmmhmm.. 90 degrees!" Zoro then rolled his eyes once more as he set down his glass of sake and grabbed the cook, swinging him over his shoulder before tossing him onto the couch, but the drunk man quickly wiggled his hips and went back onto the floor. "Ugh.. Oh! Is that a fireplace?"

Ace looked over at where the blonde was pointing and smiled as he stood back up. "Hell ya it is! Smoker, babe, grab the marshmallows and stuff, Ill go start the fire! Everyone follow me!"

"Yay!" Sanji yelled as he stood back up, looking like a baby deer as he finally made his way over to Usopp, who he leaned on for support. "Les go!"

They all then proceeded to walk out the back sliding doors and into the camp ground looking area. There was a single metal case for the fire that was in the middle of a square of long logs that represented chairs, and the remaining area was all trees. The forest was deep and dark, but it didn't stay scary-In Usopp and Chopper's opinion- for long as Ace started up the fire and gestured for everyone to sit down. Once they were all situated the seating was pretty random with Chopper, Robin, Ace and Smoker on one log, Nami, Luffy, Franky and Brook took another and Usopp, Sanji and Zoro took up the last one.

It was quiet for a bit as Ace got the fire started, and at that moment Sanji couldn't help but think that he was the only one drunk. So, he grinned and pressed the bottle into Usopp's chest, and made a gesture for him to chug it back.

"No way!" The teen laughed as Sanji pouted. "I hate hangovers, and I think you're drunk enough for the both of us."

"Mgh. Fine, be a SQUARE!" He mumbled loudly as he took another sip and without being aware of his current actions, leaned his head on Zoro's broad shoulder.

The swordsman blushed and pretended not to notice as the others all smiled in his direction. All but Ace, who looked like he just had the idea of a life time as he shot up from his spot and held a hand in the air.

"Time for truth or dare bitches!"

* * *

Tbc.


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer : I don't own One Piece or any of it's characters.

A/N : 30 REVIEWS?! Thank you all so much for the continued support! I really appreciate it and hope to get lots more feedback in the future. I always get really motivated to write after seeing a nice review after all, which is why I really want to thank 'jyugo' for the lovely and kind review! It really made my day!~

But I do need to apologize for this chapter, because it is going to short. But please enjoy non the less!

* * *

"Truth or dare?" Nami asked in a wayward tone as she took a sip of her screwdriver drink. Ace nodded in turn with his smile still wide as he sat himself back down and gestured out with his arms.

"H-How do you play?" Sanji cut in as he straightened back his shoulders and removed his head from Zoro's body. Much to the others unvoiced displeasure.

"You don't know how to play?" Ace asked loudly before shaking his head and explaining. "It's a game, most typically played at slumber parties and such but we are going to play it now! One person starts by spinning a bottle, whoever the bottle points to gets asked 'truth or dare', they pick and then the person that spun the bottle either asks them a question or tells them to do something."

"Ohh... Like the-the 'Do what I say game'!"

"The what?" Usopp asked the drunk man in confusion as Sanji flicked his wrist.

"M-My old... friends showed me it. They t-tell you to*urp* do something, and you do it. A-And if you don't want to do it then you get hit." He explained as the others looked at him in shock before sharing small glances between one another.

"Cook-san... With that game, did anyone else have a turn? Or was it just you doing what they asked?" Robin asked gently as her eyes glazed over in concern.

"Mm... Me, b-but they said it was because I was...I was..." Sanji snapped his thin fingers a couple times as his face scrunched up in thought but he seemed to finally give up as he shrugged and kicked his feet out onto the dirt in front of him. "I forget... But let's play!"

"Alright..." Ace mumbled before shaking his head and planting another carefree smile on his face. "I'll start!"

He then proceeded to chug down the rest of his already shallow beer before setting it onto the table that wrapped around the fireplace. He spun it in one quick motion and everyone waited with anticipation on who it would land on.

* * *

Usopp whined loudly and quickly chugged down some juice as the rest of the group laughed at him. Ace, even with a now wet foot, was laughing as well as Usopp glared at him, not finding the whole situation as funny as everyone else. You'd think a guy that baths everyday would have better tasting feet, but no.

It had been several rounds into the game with the group simply making one another answer simple questions and do silly dares as the night drew on. The fire was dying down and Sanji, being the only one to go off his top, was starting to feel pretty tired. He didn't want to show it however, as he was having far too much fun with his new friends to want to do anything to cut it short.

"Sanji? You OK, cutie?" Ace asked softly as the blonde shot his eyes back open, not even realizing that he shut them in the first place and directed his attention at the larger man.

"Hmm? Ya... Um.. Who's turn is it?" The blonde quietly asked with a smile as he brought up his knees against his chest, hugging them close to his middle as he waited for an answer that he never got. Ace then chuckled and shook his head as he slipped his slipper back on his damp foot and stood up.

"Alright, it's pretty late so I think we should all call it a night. Luffy you good to take everyone home?"

"Yep! I haven't drunk anything." The captain explained with a smile as he too stood up and grabbed the bucket of water that Smoker had set out at some point during the game, the grown man not wanting to be present for most of the truth or dare session since he didn't wish to do something demeaning.

The short male went to douse the flame with the water but stopped, and quickly directed his attention towards the woods as a noise caught his attention. "Shh."

The others all stopped moving immediately, thankful that Sanji was out like a light as the captain grew serious and gently set the water back onto the ground, keeping the fire lit as he walked closer to the darkened woods. He went to speak again, but stopped as a flash, similar to that of a camera exploded through the air, and almost immediately after rustling was heard in the leaves, making a loud crunching noise fill the air but then slowly get quieter and quieter. As if someone was running away.

Zoro went to run in and see what the hell just happened, but Luffy held up a hand to stop him. Shaking his head as he turned back on his heel, doused the flame, and gestured for everyone to enter the cabin.

They did so with no complaints, Zoro only stopping to pick up Sanji as they all quickly entered the house and locked the screen doors behind them. The swordsman kept the blonde in his arms as the others all crowded around, wanting to stay on his guard in case a threat were to suddenly arise.

"What the hell was that?" Nami asked in anger.

"It was a camera's flash." Robin said as Nami rolled her eyes.

"Ya, but why would a someone come out into the middle of the woods and take a photo of us?" She asked, keeping her voice down but still displaying her grave and confused feelings at the sudden turn of events.

"..." Luffy looked down for a moment before shooting to attention and walking up to the front window of the cabin and turning the front porch light on, gasping in shock at what he saw.

The others noticed the action and ran towards the window to see what caused the disturbance in the otherwise joyful captain, and they too couldn't hold back their noises of shock as their attention was drawn out to Luffy's car. "What..."

There were bright silver streaks in the side of the car that was visible to the group that contrasted brightly against the red paint, it was obviously scratched in by something sharp like a key and read out ' _STAY AWAY_ ' in large and uneven letters that went across both front and back doors of the vehicle.

Luffy ran outside of the cabin in anger and swore as he realized he left it unlocked. He opened the driver seat door and glared at the seating. The leather was ripped and demolished with no spots unmarked, as was all the objects that they had left in the car, such as backpacks and phones.

All but Sanji's.

The captain cocked an eye in confusion as he reached over the seat and looked over the cook's belongings, frowning even deeper once he noticed that not only was the bag and sweater untouched, but a medium sized golden package was placed on the top. "What the hell...?"

"Luffy! Look at this!" Ace yelled from the other side of the car, making both his younger brother and the rest of the parties occupants run over, only to stop in their tracks at the words that unfolded the whole message that the attacker had left.

 _'FROM HIM.'_

* * *

Tbc.


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer : I don't own One Piece or any of it's characters.

A / N : I'm going to be away from my computer for a week *cries*. So, I wanted to get this out before I go, but I swear I'll get started on the next chapter as soon as I get back! Might even write up a draft while I'm gone~

* * *

The few future pirates, but current straw hats all sat around their shared house with a golden package on the table in front of them. Right after the incident at the cabin the group brought the sleeping cook home to a very pissed off and very tired Zeff, who quickly grabbed the cook from the swordsman's hands, shot him a glare and slammed the door back shut behind him.

Needless to say, Zoro did not want to cross that man. He felt as though he was already on his shit list for bringing home a wasted son, and the look that the elder man shot his way was enough to assume that one out of his very short list of strikes was down.

But that wasn't the teens largest concern at the moment as he leaned against the counter behind him and waited for someone to break the tense silence that had filled the room as soon as they entered the building. Luffy had brought the gift in, knowing that it was wrong for him to do so, but as the cooks friend, he couldn't just let some psycho demolish his car, take a photo of the group, and then leave Sanji something. It could be a foot for all they know.

"OK, so let me get this all straight." Usopp finally spoke up, unable to stay quiet any longer. "First we have a fun night, Sanji gets hammered, we play truth or dare, when we go to call it a night and someone hiding in the woods takes our photo, who also probably was the one to key and destroy Luffy's car, he left a scary ass message, and didn't touch a single thing of Sanji's, but instead, left him a gift. Is that everything? Or did a ghost possess someone too?"

Nami rolled her eyes and smacked the artist on the arm, making him wince and sigh. "Sorry, but come on guys. This is insane, what are we going to do? We have no way of knowing who that guy was!"

"Well he obviously knew where we were going to be. But only we knew about the party, unless someone overheard about it at school." Nami stated, eyes still locked on the box as she spoke.

"Are we not going to comment on the fact that whoever did this is obviously after Sanji?" Zoro ground out, not liking how they were avoiding saying that. Who else could that message of been about?

It wasn't a coincidence that the person who took the photo obviously directed it at the blonde, or that none of his objects were touched or that the words etched on the car were about a male. Sanji obviously had a stalker. Whether or not he was just someone from school, or someone that saw him in the restaurant, the fact remained that he was dangerous. The events of today proved that.

"But why? I mean... Ya, I can see WHY someone would like Sanji, but why go through such lengths?" Usopp asked in confusion. "Why key a car and stalk him? Does he even know?"

"No. I don't think he dose." Luffy responded as he crossed his arms and grabbed the package, gently looking over the box for any tags. "I stopped by his house on Wednesday for food and his step father was the only one home-"

"That old guy that tried to burn Zoro with his eyes?" Usopp asked jokingly as Luffy simply nodded.

"Ya, he let me in and made me some awesome food, but while he was in the kitchen... I saw this exact same wrapping paper in the garbage. Same ribbons too." He said, making Nami cock an eye in confusion.

"Wait, so they do know? Why don't they go to the police?" She asked.

"No. I think.. I think just Zeff knows. I don't think Sanji is aware of any of it. I mean, why else would they move so suddenly and Sanji not get told why? Maybe his dad knew about this guy and moved to get away?" Luffy asked, showing that despite his rather joking and childlike nature, he could be smart when he wanted.

"But why wouldn't Zeff tell him that? If I had a stalker then I would want to know." Nami broke in as she took the gift from Luffy, who started shaking the package out of curiosity.

"Who cares? The old man has reasons for keeping this a secret. And I think we should tell him about what transpired today." The green haired teen said as he uncrossed his arms, and instead let them hand down at his sides. The others all thought on the statement for awhile before Luffy nodded.

"Ya, we should tomorrow. I don't want Sanji to know yet though, just in case Zeff has it handled. So lets skip third period and talk to him." They all nodded in agreement, thankful that the teachers were gone as to not hear their plans on ditching school. "But, we should still open that gift up."

Nami nodded for what felt like the hundredth time that day before carefully beginning to peel away at the perfectly wrapped gift. You could see the tremors in her hands as she opened the package, but no one would point it out nor blame her, they had no idea what was inside after all.

"Huh.." Once the initial paper was gone from the box, they were left with a bright blue, almost identical in color to Sanji's eyes, with golden ribbons of swirls adorning the top. It looked hand crafted, and very pretty. Nami gently ran her hand over the wood, whistling as she realized, yes this was handmade.

"Open it." Luffy instructed before adjusting his hat. This was meant for Sanji, he already knew that the box wouldn't be tampered with or have anything that could damage the cooks precious hands.

Nami then gently removed the lid of the box, ignoring the fact that everyone was wrapped around her in anticipation, practically taking her air as they waited to see what was inside the box.

Once the lid was off the group simply stared down at the contents, all equally confused as they noticed it was full of upside down photos, hiding the pictures, with a simple crisp note on the top that was folded in half.

Usopp grabbed the note and flipped it open, reading it aloud as soon as he did so with no hesitation.

"Hello again my love,

I apologize for all of this. I do now realize that you have not been getting my presents again. Your father, who I will be sure to remove from the picture soon, must of seen the note that you actually received. I am just thankful that you got that watch. It looks lovely on you.

But non the less, I will be getting my presents and love to you. I know what window enters to your room, and I do need to say sorry once again for entering without asking, you just look so adorable when sleeping.-"

"What the fuck?" Zoro asked through grit teeth as he listened to the message. "The creepy fuck snuck into his house?"

"We need to show this to Zeff tomorrow, maybe he'll get better security?" Nami asked softly, stomach turning as Usopp read off the contents of the note. She never would of thought that the cook would of had someone like this after his affection, he didn't deserve the harassment.

"Continue, Usopp." Luffy broke in before everyone could start shouting. He wanted to know how much this person shared with the cook, maybe something would hint at who he was.

"R-Right... Um, I have noticed too that you have conjured up a new group of friends. And I must say that I don't approve of them, dear. They will just use you like the other ones did. They will hurt you and repeat what the others did on New Years.

I don't need to remind you of what they did, do I? I know that it hurts to think about Sanji, but I just want you to be safe and happy. I am the only one that can give that to you. Which is why I killed all of deserved it, and now they won't hurt you ever again. And I will do the same to these new 'friends', before they even get to the point of damaging you. You don't need to worry-" Usopp paused for a moment. "Um, the writing here gets really scratchy here..."

"Here, I'll read it." Nami took the note, being the better to decipher words after having to proof read Luffy's writing many times and began to read. "They got you drunk. Just like they did. It's only a matter of time before they cant resist themselves and rape you. Just like they did. But don't worry, this time I am here. I can stop them if they do anything.

I will protect you. But until they make a move, I will simply watch how adorable you get when intoxicated. Very cute. So cute. Stunning. Why can't I just touch you. So adorable.

My apologize. I just get so... Anxious when around you. I wish I didn't need to keep my distance, but alas I will need to until I have wiped out those around you. Then I can have you all to myself. It will be amazing, and wonderful and I will treat you like the prince that you are.

And don't fret, because that will be soon. Until then, stay safe and rest easy. I love you, Sanji.

-G"

The others were silent as Nami stopped. All processing the note before Nami slammed her fists on the table, startling the others before she started shouting.

"Sanji was raped?! Why didn't he... Why didn't he tell us? Oh god..." She then gripped onto her hair between her fingers, pulling at the strands as she shook her head.

"Nami." Luffy placed a hand on her shoulder and gave a gentle squeeze. "It's OK. He probably didn't tell us because he's trying to move on, and forget that it ever happened. He's strong."

"Exactly. The cook wouldn't want to be looked down on simply because of that." Zoro broke in as he gently pried the note from her hands and re-folded it. They couldn't damage it, since it was evidence after all.

"What... What are the pictures?" Usopp asked shakily. Now scared of what they could possibly be after hearing what the stalker had writen to the blonde. Luffy took a small inhale before grabbing the box and flipping the first photo.

Only to puke at the picture of 4 mutilated, bloody, and very much dead teenagers who were all missing their eyes and hands. Marker was scrawled on the front of the photo in small scrawl at the bottom, reading off 'They both looked and touched you. But that won't happen every again my love' in shaky lettering.

* * *

Sanji groaned softly as he hugged his pillow close to his slim chest and attempted to open his crust filled eyes. It didn't get very far as the morning light struck him and made his already agonizing headache far worse.

He couldn't even recall what had occurred last night, just that he had more fun than he has in awhile. Which would of brought a smile to the teens cheeks, but any movement or thought process hurt his skull, so he simply lay on the bed, waiting for the pain to pass as he listened to the song birds outside, who Sanji typically enjoyed, but now they could of very well been screaming right in his ears.

"Oi. eggplant." Sanji groaned loudly as his door opened and his guardian walked in. Obviously holding some form of food as the smell hit the blonde like a truck, and made him hold a hand over his mouth to prevent vomit from spilling. "Good. You deserve everything you are feeling."

"Mmghh.. Go way..." The younger cook stated after swallowing and bringing the pillow up to his face, hiding his features from the man who had just set down his plate and mug and opened the blinds, letting more than a crack of light seep into the room.

"Idiot. You need to eat or the pain won't get better." Zeff stated harshly, not hiding the fact that he was mad at the other as he sat on the end of his bed. "Why didn't you tell me that you were going to the woods?"

"Huh..?"

"I'm not an idiot, eggplant. I also have a tracker on your phone."

"WHAT?!" Sanji shot up but then went immediately back down, gripping his skull in pain at the sudden movement and shout. "That is illegal..."

"You're my fucking son, idiot. And you were in the middle of the fucking woods until 2 in the morning, drunk off your ass. So why the fuck didn't you tell me?"

"I didn't know... They didn't tell me it was at a cabin till Friday... Fucking geezer..." Sanji groaned as he opened his eyes gently, and attempted to slowly warm up to the idea of moving and eating. "Besides, it was fun..."

"You're an idiot. And the only fucking one who was hammered was you." Zeff growled out as he grabbed the mug of coffee and handed it to the smaller cook, who was now sitting up and rubbing his eyes free of sleep.

"So..? Our teachers were there too... So why are you so mad?" The teen gently grabbed the cup and sipped on the contents, weening his stomach to open up more for food through the beverage.

"Because you are an idiot! What if the same thing happened from New Ye-"

"Shut the fuck up!" Sanji growled with a glare. "You... You have no right to talk about that night. It's over with. I don't... I don't want..."

"...I'm sorry, eggplant." Zeff sighed before crossing his arms above his chest. "But you do realize that I'm just worried, right? I just want you to be safe. And drinking is the worst thing you can do since you don't think properly."

"I know.. I know, I'm sorry." Sanji nodded and clasped the mug between both of his hands, gently rubbing the rim with him thumb as he looked down at the murky coffee. "I shouldn't of done that. But I was nervous, I like these guys... They're nice to me..."

Zeff looked over at the other who was smiling softly and sighed in turn. "I know. They seem like a good group of kids, but you know you don't need to impress them. I talked with that straw hatted bean the other day, he likes you for you. So you don't need to get drunk simply because you don't know what to say to them."

"...Fucking sentimental geezer." Sanji chuckled before taking another sip of his drink. His head was still pounding, but the coffee was helping as he spoke with his father.

"Shut it, skinny."

"Heh..."

"So, you going to sit in bed all day, you lazy shit? Or are we going to test out those new Sashimi knives I bought?"

* * *

Tbc.


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer : I don't own One Piece or any of it's characters!~

A / N : I am so sorry everyone! I didn't think a weeks absence was going to cause such an uproar but it did, and for that I apologize. I will also be trying to make the chapters longer as an extra apology!~

* * *

The next day at school was quiet, unobtrusive and very very odd in Sanji's opinion. The blonde chef sighed lightly at the thought as he sat in his final period classroom, knee rested up against the sleek wood in front of him as he balanced a pencil between his lip and nose.

He was actually rather nervous at the start of the day, fear of being mocked for his behavior of his Friday kept him at bay as he went thorough his day with little noise. He wasn't even attempting to avoid his Nakama, yes he was content with referring to them as such, but he still hadn't seen a single straw hat since he stepped foot on the school grounds. A small part of him was laughing at him for thinking that they wouldn't hate him after getting to know him, but it was drowned out by a louder voice that was insisting that they probably has a good reason for avoiding him.

And the fact that Dr. Chopper had told him that they were probably playing hooky helped ease his thoughts as well. It wasn't like he's never just missed school because he felt like it before after all. And most of them had clubs, maybe they had meetings at lunch?

So they weren't necessarily avoiding him, no. They were just... Ya, they were avoiding him.

Sanji sighed gently once more as he removed the pencil from his face and looked out the window to his left. It was nice out, and the sky was painted a beautiful sheen of blue that would of typically drew a smile onto the blondes face, but today he just couldn't feel up to it.

Not only was he unable to talk with any of his friends, but that 'G' character that left him a gift the previous week came back. Now, normally the cook would just blow it off as nothing, but the letter that was left this time was rather... Disturbing.

Not even because of the contents, even though the words written made him feel like keeping the lights on as he slept. But because the note was found in his room on the en-table where he kept the watch, even though his window and all the doors of the house were locked. With a new pack of smokes placed on top of it.

The thought of the smokes that were now firmly placed in his bag made the teen bite his lip and twirl the pencil between his fingers. He could really use one, especially as the thought of a stranger being in his room failed to leave his mind. It was scary, regardless of how well the teen could fight, since he was defenseless as he slept. And he was a heavy sleeper since his body was used to waking up early and sleeping late, so if he didn't sleep for a solid 6 hours than he would shut down.

He hadn't ever really been scared of the fact that a hurricane couldn't wake him up, not until now. Not until the thought of someone touching him in his sleep entered his mind.

Now, even going off of that topic he couldn't help but think of the letters contents. This guy knew everything about him. Sanji bit his lip harder at the thought as his teachers voice became nothing more than statically background noise.

'G' knew all his friends, his full name, birth date, that he was adopted, his favorite color, favorite movie-which was by far the oddest thing since he hadn't even told Zeff that his favorite movie was Lilo & Stitch- even what fucking happened on New Years, among many other things. It really limited who it was, but at the same time didn't.

The only person who knew what happened that day besides his attackers was Zeff. And for some reason he doubted that his old man would do something like this, even for a joke. But... He didn't want to think that it was any of those teens either.

None of them had any G's in their names. But maybe that was to misguide him? No... It wouldn't be them, they hated him, and wouldn't bother buying him stuff, nor would they enter his room and not... Do what they did before.

Or maybe he was looking too much into this and it was just some random guy that he hasn't even met face to face before. It was likely, but the blonde also couldn't believe that someone would like him to a point of purchasing him such expensive gifts. Hell, even the smokes were the best brand out there!

The blonde jumped and was brought out of his thoughts as the final bell rang and sent a shock wave of surprise throughout his body. He sat down for a moment to collect his thoughts and place his notebook into his bag before shooting out of the room and merging with the wave of students that were practically pushing one another to get out of the building. Sanji didn't even bother to push his way through the students, but instead just let the wave take him outside as he yawned and sniffed gently.

Once out of the building the teen wasted no time in ripping open the smokes, wincing slightly as the $40 package was wasted on an addict like him, and lighting a golden cigarette up in one fluid movement. He inhaled the cancerous smoke as his eyelids fluttered gently, the sensation of the cigarette hitting him like a good orgasm.

Jesus, he wished he was rich. Then he would smoke like this everyday, he thought with a grin as his mind finally emptied and was instead nothing more than a blank slate as he breathed out a plume of white air in the form of a ring.

"Sanji?" The blonde lazily looked over his shoulder as his name was spoken, but as he skimmed the dispersing crowd he could only cock an eye in confusion as he didn't recognize anyone. Nor was anyone looking in his direction. He then shrugged and hiked his bag up his shoulder as he went to walk home, smoke placed between his lips as he shoved his hands into his pockets. "Sanji."

He turned on his heel once more, mind more alert as he looked around. But again, there was nothing more than a few strangler students and no one he recognized. The blonde huffed out a breath as he narrowed his eyes and turned back to the direction of his home, only to stop in his tracks and stare ahead with wide blue eyes.

"...Gin?"

* * *

Luffy sipped his tea with a loud slurping noise as he sat in front of Zeff in the mans dining room. Zoro to his right on the plush chairs as Nami and Usopp sat on his left, all of which were silent as they waited for the scary looking man to talk.

"Yes. He has a stalker." The old man ground out as he glared at the monkey-like teen for his lack of manners.

"So why don't you tell him?" Nami asked gently, setting her own tea down onto the table in front of them.

"Because the eggplant is an idiot and would do one of two things, either completely ignore it and any warning signs the man sent his way, or he would wait for the man to show up and confront him. I don't think either situation would be beneficial." Zeff explained before looking over at the oven, standing up as the egg-timer he had sent beeped to life and instructed the man that the muffins were done. He gently placed the hot muffins onto the top of the stove and gently began to remove them onto three separate plates.

"But why don't you confront him?" Usopp asked shakily, obviously scared of the larger man. "The stalker I mean?"

"He knows when I'm sleeping. I set up an alarm for the front and back doors, that would make my phone go off if opened-"

"Well maybe you should set one up in curly's window." Zoro ground out. Both pissed and... Well, angry as he listened to the man who knew about these going on's.

"Excuse me, lettuce head?" Zeff ground out as he set down a warm muffin in front of each of the teenagers.

"This creep has been in the cooks room. Luffy, show him."

Luffy then pulled the same box that the stalker had left the blonde out of his bag, and handed it to the man. Mouth full of muffin, making him unable to speak as he did so.

"What is this?" Zeff asked softly as he grabbed the box.

"When we were at the cabin on Saturday... Someone came to the site." Nami started as she gently rubbed the rim of her cup with her pointer finger. "They took a photo of us, but it was obviously directed at Sanji-kun who was unconscious at the time, but they also trashed Luffy's car. They wrote 'Stay away from him' on the sides and destroyed everything inside except for Sanji-kun's items. This box was on his sweater."

The chef didn't say another word as he silently opened up the box and started off by reading the note. Even when he finished he didn't bother to say anything as he moved onto the photos.

"...We've been talking to the police chief about this, and forwarded him photos of the pictures and letter, as well as the car. He is looking into it at the moment but has no leads..." Nami spoke softly, already knowing what was on the photos and not knowing how the teens father was going to react to such graphic content.

"...Can't say they didn't have it coming." Zeff spoke in a calm manner as he set the photos back into the box with the note.

The teens all stared at the man in surprise, but didn't voice any of their thoughts. They couldn't understand how it felt to know your own child was assaulted by those who he trusted, and being unable to do anything about it after all.

For Zeff, he felt relief that his son wouldn't need to feel fear over those boys coming back to attack him. And he honestly knew that he would of done the same thing if he was capable. Stupid eggplant didn't want him to do anything excessive though, not even alert the authorities or take him to the hospital.

"And the letter is nothing new. He always talks like that, but the car... Sanji hasn't had any friends since what happened last year, which is roughly when the letters and gifts began appearing at the Baratie." Zeff began as he rubbed his chin with a large hand. "We were going to give them to the eggplant, but Patty, one of the idiot cooks decided to read it off to everyone else as a joke... He didn't get half way through it before running into my office and telling me that Sanji had a stalker."

"What was written on it?" Nami asked, noticing that the other three had scared, angry, confused and disgusted faces. She felt fine doing the talking however. She wanted answers after all.

"It was describing everything the kid did that day. It was his day off so he spent it at the vendors, buying groceries to test out some new recipes... And it also contained a photo, just like these but of a dead vendor, who was supposedly flirting with Sanji as he purchased some fruits. I asked the idiot about the vendor later, just asking if he knew him, and Sanji only told me that he was a creep. I still didn't bother telling him about his death though."

"Wait- He's killed others?!" Usopp shouted in panic.

"Yes. But the cops couldn't find any leads to who it was. They searched for a month before giving up." Zeff sighed. "He continued to send gifts and letters, mainly consisting of clothes and anything that Sanji happened to look at throughout the day. Which just proved that he was following him around... I threw out all the gifts, hoping the fuck would get the message and scram, but he never did..."

"Is that why you moved here so suddenly?" The only woman present asked.

"Hm. The day before we left the 'G' character sent Sanji a box that had pictures of the eggplant in them. He was sleeping, changing, showering and just cooking in each of them. There was also some rather.. Sexually explicit items in the box with a letter saying how he wanted to use each of the items on the eggplant... At that point I realized he wasn't safe and moved here, but not before he found out I suppose.."

"... Doesn't he leave any clues? Finger prints? Hair? Anything?"

"No. He's careful. And smart... So obviously I knew it wasn't any of those kids from the photos. It confirms it now, but that just leaves me at a blank for suspects."

Luffy hummed softly as he tried to steal Usopp's muffin with one hand as the other shoveled food into his mouth, but even as his mouth was full he still opened it to speak. "What if it's someone who's ate his cooking?"

Zeff cocked an eye before scoffing. "He was a chef, you bad mannered monkey. Thousands of people have eaten his cooking."

"But.. What if it was someone who really needed it?" Luffy asked carelessly, still shoveling food into his open jaws.

"Someone who needed it...?" Zeff thought for a second before tapping his finger against the table. "The eggplant always fed those who were hungry. Even if they were the rudest person to walk the earth, the idiot would feed anyone. Money or not. He's probably helped a lot of people."

"Hmmmm" Luffy thought as he gulped down the last of the food and rubbed his chin. Zoro rolled his eyes at the exaggerated action as he final decided to speak up.

"Did anyone he feed stick around?" The swordsman asked, arms crossed above his chest as he looked the man in the eyes.

"As far as I know they all came back after hours to thank him, and attempt to repay him but he never accepted anything. So eventually they all gave up." The chef shrugged, he too looking into the teens eyes.

"Did any not thank him?" Luffy asked with a grin.

"No... Only one guy didn't come back but that was because he was an outlaw." Zeff waved it off. "He was probably arrested the next day with how high his bounty was."

"An outlaw?"

"Ya, he was in the mafia or some shit." He waved his hand once more. "I don't remember much about him, only that he came into the restaurant wielding a gun and instructing the cooks feed him something. He was in the cops custody for weeks and they decided to starve him to see if he would talk. Patty kicked him out and Sanji brought him out some food, he ate and then left."

"But why isn't he a suspect?" Usopp asked lightly as he glared at Luffy, who had managed to finally steal his muffin from right under his nose.

"Like I said, he was an outlaw and was most likely arrested. If it was him the cops would know anyways since he's very... Specific about his crimes."

"How so?"

"He always leaves a mark of his crew. A skull with some weird ass patterns, I don't know." Zeff explained harshly. "It couldn't be him. Why would an outlaw go through the trouble?"

"Why did Sanji go through the trouble of feeding him?" Luffy broke in, making Zeff back peddle slightly.

"Well, the idiot almost starved as a kid. He doesn't like seeing others go hungry." Zoro furrowed his brows at the statement, he already had his doubts that Sanji's previous drunken words weren't just nonsense. But this just confirmed it.

"But why did he bother? He was an outlaw, who could of easily come back to kill him. So why go through the trouble? Maybe.. Maybe Sanji's action showed this guy the good that some people had? And as an outlaw I doubt he ever received much kindness... So it's like a baby bird!" Luffy explained happily, as if he just cracked the code to world hunger.

"Huh?" Usopp asked his captain with a cocked brow as he rolled his eyes, as if Usopp was dumb for asking before continuing.

"Like you know how a baby bird thinks the first thing it sees is it's mother?" The others nodded slowly, still not seeing where the teen was going with this. "Well, it was like that! This guy had been fighting his whole life for survival and was most likely feared by everyone, then all of a sudden when he's at his bottom and the most vulnerable this blonde cook angel steps in and helps him. So since Sanji showed him his first given piece of kindness, the man decided that he was his mother bird!"

"That... Strangely makes a lot of sense." Nami whispered out in shock.

"Ya. It does." Zeff growled out in pure anger as he glared down at the table in front of him. He never even thought of that as being a possibility, but now that it was spoken aloud it was all he could think about. He had a lead this entire time. He could of done something this entire fucking time!

"Zeff...?" Usopp asked softly as he saw the elder man clench up.

"Fine. We need to notify the police." He spoke through grit teeth as Nami nodded.

"What was the mans name?" She asked, pulling out her phone with the intent to message Smoker the news.

"Gin. Don Kriegs right hand man."

* * *

"It's been so long." Sanji smiled through his steaming mug of coffee, both hands were wrapped around the cup as his eyes locked on the man sitting in the cafes booth across from him.

"It has, but I can't say you've changed much" Gin grinned before sipping on his tea as the other grinned mockingly.

"Wish I could say the same to you, you look like you got hit by a truck. The hell happened? You get in a scrap with a fucking blender?" The other laughter and shook his head gently as the teen gestured at the bruises and bandages that lined the mans face.

"No, nothing so grand-" Sanji chuckled around his drink, making him almost choke on the scalding liquid. "Just a couple side jobs."

"Ohh. You still doing the whole lapdog thing?" Sanji asked in a joking manner, but you could hear the seriousness behind it. Gin winced lightly, something that didn't go unnoticed by the other as he sighed.

"Afraid so. Not like I have many choices at this point after all." The other shrugged as Sanji bit his lip.

"That fucking Krieg is an asshole though... I could totally hook you up with a job at the Baratie?" Sanji asked gently, a hopeful note hitting his voice as the other sighed once again.

"I thank you for the offer, you're a good person Sanji... But I need to stay hidden, I have every cop in the county looking for me."

"Pfft have you seen the asshats I work with? 90 percent of them are outlaws and the other 10 percent is me and Zeff." Sanji said as he took another sip of his sugar infused coffee. "Besides, we could totally change your name? You look like a Jose to me."

Now that drew a genuine laugh from the otherwise stoic man, which made the cook smile in turn. Once the two ran into one another outside Sanji's school grounds they quickly began chatting and eventually found it best to sit down at the nearest cafe, Gin paid for the drinks and chose the booth farthest from any other patrons as to not allow anyone to over hear them. "Really? I think a nice Derek would work more."

"Hell no. That's generic as fuck, you need something that is uncommon, it'll be so obvious that its a fake name that they won't think it's a fake name!" Sanji stated happily, fingers moving from the mug of coffee to the raspberry tart that he had gotten - Well, Gin had gotten.

"... That's so crazy it just might work." Gin joked with a thoughtful look on his face as the other ripped off a piece of tart and gently placed the pastry into his mouth, licking the sugar from his finger as he gently rubbed the appendage against his lips.

The outlaws eyes couldn't help but trail the sinful, and probably completely oblivious action in lust. His cheeks heating up a pale pink which contrasted against his tan skin as the other chuckled and wiped his now damp finger on a napkin. Once Gin noticed the others eyes looking back at him he shook his head, getting rid of the dirty thoughts in favor of listening to the blonde speak.

"Also-" Sanji went to speak but stopped as his pocket began to vibrate. He sent an apologetic smile towards Gin who simply smiled and gestured for him to answer it as he finished off his tea. Gin gestured that he was going to get a re-fill and grabbed Sanji's cup before going up to the counter. The blonde smiled and nodded a thanks before grabbing the phone and answering it quickly, not bothering to check the I.D as he did so. "Hello?"

" _Eggplant, where are you?"_ Oh, Sanji let out a breath he didn't know he was holding as Zeff's voice rang through the other end. For some nagging reason he was afraid it was the school or god forbid, the principle.

"Cool it geezer, I'm just talking with an old friend." Sanji grumbled, not really happy that he was being constantly babied by Zeff on his whereabouts.

" _Huh? You don't have friends idiot. Where are you?"_ OK, ouch. Sanji thought with an angry frown at his fathers words.

"The hell do you know, asshole? I'll have you know that I have had plenty of friends. Now what do you want?"

 _"Just answer my question, where are you?"_

"I'm just in a cafe. It's actually really nice in here you should visit sometime." Sanji said calmly as he rolled his eyes. He didn't want to tell the man where he was to be honest, especially since he knew the elder cook would rush over as soon as he knew. But like Sanji has said several times before, he wasn't a fucking child.

 _"I'm going to kick your ass in a second."_

"I would love to see you try without breaking a hip."

 _"Hey, Sanji!"_

Sanji blinked in confusion at the new voice and actually had to pull the phone away from his face and stare down at the reciever before pressing it back up against his ear. "Luffy?"

 _"Yep! I'm at your place, you should come home!"_ Luffy yelled merrily, making Sanji smile gently at the goofy teenager.

"Can't, I'm talking with someone. Where were you today anyways?"

 _"Ummm.. What friend are you with?"_ Sanji ignored the very obvious change of subject with a roll of his eyes. He would never understand Luffy, so there was really no point in trying.

"Just an old friend from the Baratie, Gin." Sanji said lightly as the other came back and handed him the now full and steaming cup of coffee.

" _WHAT?!"_

Sanji yelped and jerked his coffee in his hand as the shout exploded in his ear, making the scalding liquid run over his hand as he grit his teeth and quickly went to grab some napkins.

"Are you OK?!" Gin yelled as the blonde breathed through his nose before sending him a shaky smile. "Ill go grab some ice!"

"Ah-It's OK, and hes gone." Sanji mumbled as Gin shot back to the counter, making him chuckle lightly as he looked down at his dropped cellphone, only to panic as he noticed that some coffee had spilt onto the device. He attempted to turn it on but got no results as he tried wiping the brown liquid off his screen. "Fuck..."

"Here, put this on the burn." Gin stated firmly, jerking Sanji out of his internal panic as he gratefully accepted the ice pack and hissed as he set it on his burning hand, only to sigh in relief moments after as it began to numb the limb.

"Thanks..."

"What happened?" The other asked in concern as he helped wipe up the coffee.

"Oh, my dumbass friend decided to scream in my ear suddenly. Fucking idiot made me ruin my phone so now Zeff is going to kick my ass." Sanji grumbled as the other furrowed his brows.

"Why did he suddenly shout?"

"Couldn't tell you- oh. Actually it was right after I mentioned your name... I am so sorry." Sanji looked scared as he realized what he had said. "Fuck... I didn't think he would know who you were! But I didn't tell him where we were, so we should be good? I mean Luffy is a good person anyways I doubt he would call the cops if he didn't really know yo-"

"Sanji! Calm down." Gin chuckled as the blonde finally stopped and instead sighed. "It's fine, I'm more worried about your hand..."

"Oh," Sanji blushed slightly, embarrassed from his earlier panic, Gin on the other hand relished in the light pink that now adorned the cooks cheeks. "Sorry... And my hand should be good. I've burnt it worse before."

"Still... They are precious to you after all. Wouldn't want to damage them in any way." Sanji smiled gently at that, happy that Gin actually seemed to care about him. Even after a year and only meeting for a good ten minutes in total. It was odd, but the cook wouldn't question a thoughtful act when it was presented.

"Thanks..."

The two then shared a small silence before breaking into another conversation, Sanji would of been more worried about having no way of contacting anyone, but he was too pissed off at Luffy and Zeff to even bother going home right now. So for now he would spend whatever time he could with his friend before he was yelled at by his overprotective father.

Besides, he was with Gin. And he doubted anything would happen with the scary looking man at his side.

* * *

Tbc.


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer : I don't own One Piece or any of it's characters.

A / N : Thinking of making up a Stanchez fiction, if that interests anyone? I just really love that pairing, almost as much as Zosan, and I have a couple ideas on where I want to go with a story with them. Maybe a nice Cryptid? I love that AU! That and the one where Rick has star pupils -don't know the au name- and Stan is the only one to attend his shows. Hella cute.

* * *

Sanji groaned gently as he rolled his head around on his neck, trying to ease the tension in his shoulders as he tapped his dead phone gently from it's spot in his pocket with a shaky hand. He had attempted to turn it on a few more times in the cafe with no success, so eventually he had to use a payphone to tell his father that he was going to be spending the night at Gin's.

Of course the elder man freaked out and cussed up a storm at the teen, which just made the pissed off blonde hang up and rant about how much of a jerk Zeff had become lately. Gin just smiled and nodded as he yelled, he too ignoring the looks that all the passerby's were giving the two as they walked to the older males current apartment. It wasn't even a personal decision on Sanji's part, to go to the mans house that is, but at some point as they sat in the cafe Sanji began to feel queasy and ill.

His vision had began to get blurry and his head fuzzy, making him unable to sit upright in the booth or stand without assistance. Gin had noticed and suggested taking him home. But Sanji didn't want to go and get yelled at while his head felt so off, so he begged the other to stay in his house for the night. Just until he felt better. The fugitive agreed with little hesitation before hoisting the teen up and bringing him to the nearest phone booth to at least inform Zeff of where he would be.

"Mmmggh." Sanji groaned once more as he leaned his shoulder against the taller's shoulder, squinted eyes locked on the ground in order to watch his feet and not trip on any misplaced stones or cracks.

"You OK?" Gin asked softly and in a concerned tone as he leaned over slightly to try and look at the blonde, but failed to do so as the cooks fringe covered the good majority of his face.

"No... What the fuck is going on..?" Sanji asked in a growl before tightening his grip on the others shoulder.

Gin, knowing that the other wasn't looking couldn't help but grin stupidly as the lean arm was wrapped around his shoulders and the soft hair brushed against his cheek. He hadn't touched the teen since they had met and even then it was just a short hug of gratitude for saving his life.

The man would never forget that day. It always raced through his mind and every little detail of when he first caught sight of the blonde angle, from when he walked into the Baratie from when he left, was firmly etched in his mind. At first he just looked like some pretty boy from Gin's perspective, and he never would of guessed that he was a cook due to the suit, face and just the way he carried himself which is why he paid him no mind as he walked into the restaurant and pointed his gun at the nearest waiter, insisting they bring him food with no pay but was almost immediately thrown outside on his ass.

He sat there for a good 5 minutes before footsteps were heard from the backdoor and a heavenly scent filled the air. A plate of rice and a large glass of mineral water was placed in front of his face and a lean figure sat to his right, lighting up a smoke as he acted as though he didn't just feed the 2nd most wanted man in the world.

He had denied it at first, not wanting the pity of the blonde next to him. But... But then he said something he would never forget.

 _"I know you think it's pity. But isn't it worth sucking up for pride worth having now and in the future?"_

And after the words were uttered, Gin couldn't help but eat every last grain of rice on that plate, complimenting the flavor all the while as he cried tears that had built up over the years. And Sanji did nothing to ridicule him, didn't even look at him until he finished eating, but at that moment when the blonde gave him a wide smile with sparkling white teeth, blue eyes squinted in joy as he implied he already knew the food was great, he knew he was in love.

And only then did he feel regret for his previous decisions in life. Because now he was a criminal, unable to stay in one place to long and unable to stay at Sanji's side. So he knew at that point that he needed to watch from afar, keep tabs on the man and protect him when needed. Not that he really needed it, Gin thought with a thoughtful smile. He was strong, and could fend for himself.

But once he heard one of the 4 teens the blonde had decided to hand around with gloat about how tight the cook was he couldn't just sit back idly anymore. Especially when he caught the cook crying in his room and trying to convince Zeff not to go to the police over it or take him to the hospital, claiming it wasn't worth it.

So he had no choice but to take matters into his own hands. He killed the four, unsure if all of them took part but not wanting to take any chances. He didn't leave his crews symbol, not wanting the murder to get linked to him and Sanji being scared of him. He would probably kill himself if he hurt the blonde in anyway, so he stayed anonymous, even in the letters and gifts. He wanted to wait until the blonde fell in love with him before seeing him again, but he couldn't wait any longer.

No, not after seeing the blonde get along with this new group of friends. He couldn't handle it anymore, the thought of him going into potential danger with these strangers fueled thoughts in him that he would rather not have. It scared him to think on how much he loved the man to his left, but at the same time he knew it was alright. Sanji deserved the concern.

He deserved everything.

And no one gave him anything but him. Not even Zeff cared enough about the blonde to ignore his wishes and go to the police. He would of dragged the blonde to the hospital if he knew he was hurt, fighting or not. Because he needed it. It was for his own good.

And so was this, Gin thought with a small sigh as he gently rubbed the slim teens hip, he needed to drug the teen and take him with him. He would give him anything he needed, and fulfill his dream of sailing the sea. He would keep him happy and make sure that the gorgeous smile that the blonde carried never left his face.

He deserved nothing less.

* * *

"Fucking dumbass, idiot, retarded, baka-eggplant." Zeff grumbled under his breath as he hung up the phone. Almost immediately after the blonde had called him on an unknown number, sounding like he had just drunk himself into a slurring stupor as he informed the elder man about how he was going to be spending the night at his fucking stalkers house, he called the cops.

The head officer, Smoker, who the kids that were crowded around him apparently knew, answered and said that he was sending a squad car to their house. He said he would also have one patrol around the school and visit any cafe's within the area, so all the group could do now was wait.

"What's going to happen to him..?" Usopp mumbled out with pinched features, worry pouring out of both him and everyone else as they sat in the living room, awaiting the cops arrival.

"He'll be fine." Luffy stated with a firm nod.

"How can you be sure though?" Nami asked with anger lacing her tone as she glared at the air headed captain. She couldn't help but feel thankful that he was still being positive, but their friend was in danger. And simply thinking positive would do nothing in this situation but raise everyone's hopes.

And she didn't know if that would be for the best in this situation.

"Because it's Sanji. He's strong."

Zoro kept to himself as he stood up and leaned against the wall of the living room. He knew more than anyone how strong the cook was, but Zeff has said that he sounded drunk.

But he doubted the cook was stupid enough to get wasted with someone he barely knew. So obviously he wasn't drunk, he was drugged. And it really didn't matter how strong you were if you were incapable of thinking correctly or seeing properly. But at the same time the swordsman had no idea as to what drugs had been used on the blonde, but either way he felt as though his captor wasn't stupid enough to leave the cook in a state where he could fight back.

Especially since he had apparently been watching him constantly. He knew how tough Sanji was.

"But what if he's hurting him?" Nami asked harshly but quickly snapped her mouth shut as she looked over at Zeff, who wore a grave and angry expression as he stared down at his knees.

"Well... The guy said that he loved Sanji, right? I don't think he would hurt him if that's true." The artist of the group supplied quietly. "And he.. Killed those guys because they hurt Sanji..."

"That's true... But we can't say anything for sure." Zeff stated, drawing the younger teens into a somber silence as they decided to not assume anything more, but instead just hope for the best and wait.

Zoro on the other hand, wouldn't just sit there. Not when the blonde just entered his life and made it all the more brighter with the simplest of actions. It was like giving him a taste of the greatest sake on the planet only to rip it out from under his nose.

But he would never tell anyone that. Especially not the cook.

* * *

Sanji rubbed his temples gently as Gin set him down on the ripped and old looking sofa that was planted against the wall in a very run down apartment complex. It was obviously not a permanent thing in Gin's case since he was incapable of staying in one spot for too long, but Sanji really didn't mind. He didn't have enough thought process at the moment to care about much of anything after all.

"Mhh." The blonde hummed as he blinked his blurry eyes open, not even realizing that he closed them as Gin gently shook his shoulder and offered him a glass of water. Sanji took it with a grateful smile before sipping on the beverage, hoping it would help subside his growing headache as the other male sat next to him.

"You need anything else? Hungry at all?" He asked in a low tone, already knowing how the pills effected your head on an empty stomach and he couldn't help but hate himself as he didn't find out if the cook had actually consumed anything before hand.

"No... I'm OK." Sanji shot him another smile before setting the glass down on the table in front of the two. "Sorry... We meet for the first time in forever and I..."

He paused to wince and rub his eyes, as if that action would clear his vision and thoughts before continuing.

"I don't feel well... It's weird though, I felt f-fine all day!" He exclaimed in confusion. "Maybe it was that coffee..."

"Maybe... You want to just lay down? I have some movies if you want to watch any..?"

"Sure... Whatchu got?" The cook asked as he hugged his arms around himself and layed his head down on the armrest, getting himself comfortable as the other stood up and walked towards the television. He then grabbed the small pile of DVD's that were piled up on the floor and began to name them off.

"There's Lilo and Stitch?" Gin asked as he showed him the case and smiled. "I know it's your favorite."

Sanji nodded idly, trying to focus on the small part of his mind that was screaming at him on how he needed to really think on the mans previous statement. But as the disk was put into the retro looking player, and the television was turned on the cook could do nothing but flutter his eyes to try and keep them open, that simple action taking up all his focus as his mind grew even hazier.

Gin looked over at the curled up blonde and smiled gently as he pressed play on the home menu of the disk before going into the attached kitchen. "I'm going to make some pasta, is that alright?"

"Mhmm." Sanji mumbled in turn as he finally succumbed to his minds demands and closed his eyes gently, listening to the beginning of his favorite movie before he finally fell asleep. Gin on the other hand stopped his actions in the kitchen and moved back into the living room, simply staring at the slumbering blonde for a few moments before sitting next to him and running a hand through the soft blonde locks.

Watching him in his room was nothing compared to this, the convict thought with a smile as he scratched the teens skull, relishing in the smile it brought Sanji and the murmurs that escaped the lean teenager as he leaned into the hand. He couldn't risk touching the cook in fear of waking him up before, but now he knew that the blonde would be out for the next 5 hours at the very least.

But he would need to make the most of this time, he thought as he finally -and regrettably- took his hand off the other and opened a box that was hidden under the couch which held several items, such as a blue collar, an anklet looking device with a red bulb on the side, and a leash.

None of which were for an animal.

* * *

Tbc.


	13. Chapter 13

Disclaimer : I don't own One Piece or any of it's characters.

A/N : Thanks for all the thoughtful reviews everyone!~ And I will head your guy's advice and not start on another fic until this one is completed. Which will hopefully be soon with how fast I am buzzing through it all.

* * *

Sanji woke up with an ear splitting headache and a sense that something was off. He hadn't bothered to open his eyes immediately, too absorbed in the pain that was echoing through both his skull and stomach as he burrowed his face deep into the soft material that was propping his head up.

Last night was nothing more than a blur in his much too fuzzy mind, which caused a red flag to begin blipping inside his head, as if an alarm was going off from behind his eyes. It hurt, so he decided to just lay there for a moment and get his bearings before attempting to do anything else. So that's just what he did as he layed in the unknown bed, fingers clenched in his soft locks as he took slow and relaxing breaths to sooth his raging thoughts, and hopefully get a good bearing on why he was in so much pain.

"Mh..." He mumbled out as he finally attempted to open his eyes and take in his surroundings. He backtracked however as he realized that he had no idea where he was. That was a little more than disconcerting, he thought with a frown as he gently rubbed his eyes as if to wipe away the image in front of him as he sat himself up on shaky arms.

Once he opened his eyes back up he noticed that he was in a small and musky smelling room that had beige wallpaper that was ripped in several places. It looked almost as though a cat had torn at the paper, and also pissed in other spots. To summarize though, it was gross and Sanji was scared that he was kidnapped by a drug dealer. Who also happened to own a cat.

He coughed lightly and went to rub at his sore throat but was stopped by a lacy like fabric that was wrapped around his neck. He blinked in shock as he felt around the item, trying to pinpoint what exactly it was, but it only clicked into his mind as he turned around and noticed the object was attached to a leash that was then clipped onto the rusty bed frame. A collar. The cook simply stared at the set up for a moment before beginning to pull at the leash, trying to break the material as he panicked on the bed. He grit his teeth and dug the palms of his feet into the bed as he pulled, but to no success. It was much stronger than it looked, as was the bed frame.

Sanji began to pant as he gurgled around the collar that was digging deeply into his neck, he didn't stop however as he pulled harder. But eventually his mind began to scream at the teen for oxygen, so he had to stop and calm down his body before he had a panic attack. Well, a worse panic attack.

"Sanji!" The blonde jumped as a voice rang through the air, he looked over at the open door where the sound erupted from and could do nothing but pant as his eyes widened in realization. "Oh god... I'm so sorry, are you alright?"

Gin walked up to the blonde in a slow manner with his eyes locked on the teens raw neck. He had figured that the male would panic after waking up tied in a strangers bed, but he had hoped that he wouldn't of hurt himself, he was obviously wrong as the blonde lay panting on the bed with a bright red throat and eyes that shone with repressed tears.

"Gin..?! What the fucking shit is going on?!" Sanji shouted in a raspy tone before he broke into a quick chorus of coughs. He clenched a hand around where his heart would be on his pink sweater and closed his eyes shut for a moment in an attempt to help calm himself down.

"Please calm down, dear. I don't want you to damage your throat." Gin spoke calmly in an attempt to get the other to settle himself. But of course it was in vain since Sanji wasn't one to listen to anyone.

"The fuck is wrong with you? Get this off me!" The cook pulled at the leash and collar as he spoke.

"I can't... I'm sorry. But this is for your own good, my love." Gin spoke softly and in a very neutral sounding tone. Sanji glared at the man and grit his teeth as his mind clouded with confusion.

"The hell did you just call me..?" Sanji asked softly before shaking his head. "Fucking, Gin let me out. This isn't funny."

"I'm not trying to be funny... I know that this is probably really confusing and scary for you, but just know that I have nothing but your best interests in heart. You'll finally be happy, Sanji..." He seemed to be talked to himself more than the blonde, who listened patiently for an answer as to why he was here.

When he never got one he went to shout with intent to get an answer but stopped as a sharp and shocking pain erupted from his ankle, numbing his entire leg and making him gasp in surprise.

"Sorry, sorry, sorry..." Gin began chanting with misery lacing his tone as he held a small remote between his hands. "I just need you to be quite now though, OK?"

The lean blonde glared up at the man but said nothing in both fear of another shock, and hope for some kind of hint as to what was going on. He didn't have to wait long however before the taller male sighed and sat at the end of the stained and messy bed, hands holding both his head and the remote as he looked down at the carpet.

"I'm so sorry... But I love you, Sanji. I have ever since you helped me that day at the Baratie..."

Sanji wrapped his arms around his knees and leaned against the bed frame, as far away from Gin as possible, as he listened to the insane man's story.

But the teen knew that no amount of pity could make him forgive this kidnapping, or stop the future ass kicking that this asshat was going to receive.

* * *

Zoro clenched his teeth together as he looked down at his phone, seeing the calls and messages that he was receiving but ignoring all of them as he continued to run down the empty streets.

After they had called the police station, Smoker had shown up at the door with little to no answers as to where the cook had been taken or where he might be. After some yelling and back and forth banter as to what they could possibly do next, the swordsman snuck out. Not without finding out where the cook last was though, and he had Zeff to thank for that since he was the one to put a tracker in the cooks phone.

Turns out the police knew where the cook was taken after tracing the call but they didn't want to tell Zeff since the barista wouldn't tell the cops anything, insisting that he hadn't even seen a blonde in the cafe that day, which just led them all at a dead end. But Zoro had ways of making people talk. Ways being his swords.

So eventually the acne covered teen had cracked and told the larger teen that a blonde had in fact come into the store earlier with a taller black haired male. He told him that the taller of the two paid him $200 to put some pills in the blondes coffee and not tell anyone afterwards.

Zoro, being the man that he is, didn't kill the man for doing something so deplorable to his-THE- cook. No, instead he made sure to record the conversation and send it off to Smoker, who was still at the elder cooks home. The swordsman wouldn't stay and wait for them however, he would let the police deal with that scum since he had a lead to follow as to where the blonde might be.

The petrified barista had informed him that the two had mentioned them going back to the elders apartment once the drugs began to kick in, but the only information he heard in regards to that was that it was in the southern district. It actually helped narrow it down however since there weren't many apartments in the area. Mainly warehouses.

Zoro stopped for what felt like the hundredth time to look down at his phone, ignoring the messages once again as he looked at the opened GPS. He would never admit to having a bad sense of direction, so he simply told himself that he just needed to know the quickest route to the blonde.

Ya. That was the only reason, he thought with a firm nod as he turned left and ran down the darkening alleyway.

He just hoped the cook was OK. If he was dead then Zoro would bring him back to life and kill him again for making him feel this way. But not before killing the fuck that dared to kidnap him first.

And then... And then he would talk to the cook. About feelings and shit. Zoro blushed and shook the thought from his mind, he needed to focus right now.

His cook depended on it.

* * *

Tbc.


	14. Chapter 14

Disclaimer : I don't own One Piece or any of it's characters.

* * *

Sanji groaned as he puffed on a freshly lit cigarette, eyes relaxed in a rather bored looking expression as he exhaled the smoke through pursed lips and looked over at the man that was currently kneeling over the side of the bed he was tied too. The blonde had yelled at him countless times over the duration of his story - mainly on how stupid he was - and once it was all over the man insisted on staying in the room until 'he understood his feelings'.

Now, Sanji wasn't stupid. He understood the others feelings, he just didn't feel the same nor did he agree with this mans actions against his previous attackers. They may of done some horrible things to him, but he still didn't feel like killing them was necessary.

It was messed up, and the only reason he didn't want Zeff to do anything in the first place was because it wasn't worth it. Why murder them over something so stupid and trivial...?

The cook sighed once again and crossed his arms above his lean chest, trying to ignore the way the older man looked over at him before he started to speak.

"So... What the hell are you hoping to achieve with this?" Sanji asked between a new puff. Gin smiled up at him from his perch on his knees.

"Well... I mean, now that you're with me we can follow your dream! I've saved up more than enough as Don Krieg's right hand man."

"Dream? What are you talking about, dipshit?"

"... I fucking love you. So pretty and cute and yet you carry the voice of a sailor..." Gin seemed to have a far away look in his eyes as he stared at the blonde, seemingly ignoring the teens question as his train of thought moved onto something that Sanji didn't want to be aware of.

"You are insane. Now answer my question before I ram my foot down your throat." Sanji ground out before spitting out his cigarettes filter, landing it perfectly into the little glass jar to his right. It looked hand crafted and beautiful with waves cascaded on the side which made the blonde feel slightly bad for damaging it but at the same time he couldn't bring himself to treat this asshole objects with any shred of respect.

"Oh! Sorry, dove-"

"Fucking call me that again and I'll rip out your eyes." Sanji interrupted quickly, wanting to hear the answer but not willing to put up with the mans pet names.

"Aha... Alright, Sanji. Well to answer your question, your dream of sailing around the world and finding All Blue."

Sanji was silent a moment as he processed the mans words. He had never told anyone but Zeff his dream, which he was thankful for since it saved his life at the time, so how did this creep of a goon possibly get that piece of information.

"You... Are leaving something out of your story. How the hell do you know every detail about my life?" The cook asked softly, eyes piercing into Gin's brown orbs as the other man fidgeted in his spot. "Talk. Now."

"Ok, Ok... I may of... Spoken with your father." Gin could see that the comment hit Sanji hard as he quickly stood up and waved his hands frantically. "I wasn't looking for him! I was on a side mission for Don Krieg when I happened to run into him. I honestly didn't even know that he was your father until I saw the similarities his other children carried with you, mainly the eyebrows."

Sanji listened silently, mind numb as he thought back on his biological family. He had never wanted to acknowledge their existence after he left, nor did he want to rehash the fact that he was related to those murders. His mother was the only shred of light through that dark time in his life, but she was gone, and she left Sanji with a family that held no regard of morals.

"We got talking since we were sided together on this specific mission, and I took the time to ask some questions about you... I would of killed him on the spot for you, lo-Sanji. But I couldn't. Not at the time. But I swear to you, I will make that man suffer for what he did to yo-"

The leaner man held up a hand, making the other stop speaking and look down at the teen who was clenching his eyes shut.

"Shut up. That bastard isn't related to me, I don't carry his name, and nothing that he has ever done to me matters. Why bother getting killed for a small chance of victory?"

Gin shook his head and smiled lightly, sitting back down onto the bed before taking Sanji's pale hand into his own larger ones.

"I would do anything for you. Nothing that would help ease your mind or put a smile on your face would be too much or unwarranted. I will kill for you. I HAVE killed for you. I love you." Gin then went to kiss the thin appendage but was stopped as Sanji pulled it out of his reach.

"You're insane! I'm not worth any of th-"

There was the sound of a loud slap and then silence in the room as Sanji blinked his widened blue eyes and rubbed his now sore cheek with his left palm. He went to yell at the other, tell him off for the sudden hit, but felt himself unable too as he noticed the others eyes were filled with tears that he was very obviously forcing himself not to shed.

"I'm sorry." Was the only word the other uttered before shooting out of the bedroom and slamming the door shut behind him.

The remaining resident of the room simply stared at the door for a minute before tsking and leaning back into the pillow that was pressed against himself and the wall, hand not leaving his cheek as he clenched his tired eyes shut. Why should he feel bad for that man's suffering when he not only kidnapped him, but also slapped him in the face? He didn't deserve the sympathy that the cook was feeling, nor did he deserve to shed those tears.

He wasn't the one tied to a bed in a dingy old room with no idea on where he was. He wasn't the one that was drugged by who he thought was a friend. He wasn't the one who was scared out of his mind at the thought of being at the mercy of a stalker. And he wasn't the one with a stinging cheek.

So... Why did Sanji still feel bad?

* * *

Zoro grumbled under his breath as he sat in the back seat of Smoker's police car, knuckles dusted in red liquid that ran across his pristine white shirt as he crossed his arms above his chest. He ignored the small annoyance in favor of staring out the window at the passing buildings and cars.

"I can't believe you would do something so stupid." Smoker growled out without bothering to look back at the teen who scoffed in turn.

"Shut it. I didn't see you or those other cops doing anything." Zoro growled back even though he knew that Smoker was right. He shouldn't of done what he did.

But when you run into Don Krieg on the streets, the man who was the essential boss of Sanji's kidnapper, you won't just sit back idly and pass him without so much as a 'Fuck you'. Which he didn't do by the way, no. Instead he knocked out a couple of the mans teeth and demanded to know where Gin had taken the cook, only to be met with harsh laughter and a comment of 'I think he's breaking in his new pet'.

Ya, so obviously he lost more than just a couple teeth after that.

Sadly however, the lead that Zoro had been following before had been fake. There were no buildings in the area that housed anyone, and it was actually all destroyed from a recent gang war.

He just hoped that Smoker hadn't gotten to that barista before he did.

"I understand your worry. Ace tells me that you are... Close with this man, but you need to set that aside. We are doing everything we can to find him, we don't need to add a lost swordsman to our already long list of victims at this mans hands." The elder man stated as he stopped at a red light. "I can admit that you taking down Krieg is beneficial, since now we at least have one of our top leads for interrogation in our custody, but this is a police matter. You will stay out of it unless personally requested by me. Which is won't be."

"Why the hell not?!"

"Because you are too personal in this case. I don't trust you enough to stay level headed when needed. We will get the location out of Krieg soon enough, he's not really a strong willed man when stripped of his weapons and armor, it will only be a matter of time."

"Whatever." Zoro said as he looked back out the window. He could feel Smoker's piercing gaze on his person for a moment before the car kicked back into gear.

"I understand how you feel. I would do exactly what you did if Ace went missing... Not only that but I wouldn't just be sitting back there like you are." Zoro shot his head back to Smoker, who was staring intently on the road ahead of him. "I would kill everyone in my path until I found him, not even stopping to breath. He means the world to me, and I can tell that the same situation applies to you and the kid. Which is why..."

The man paused for a moment as he pulled into an empty alleyway, keeping the car running as he turned back to the swordsman in his back seat. "I was unable to catch you or keep the fact that I was just texted your boyfriends where about's to myself when you so obviously hacked into my phone to see them."

Zoro sat in the backseat for what felt like hours as he processed what was happening, but as he felt his phone buzz in his pocket after Smoker had used his phone he felt a feral grin take over his features, shooting out of the car with an obvious air of gratitude before running off.

He loved his friends.

* * *

Gin hadn't come back into the room for at least 4 hours, Sanji observed with a sigh as he lay on his side, neck bleeding lightly after yet another failed attempt at breaking out of his bonds. He didn't miss the man in the slightest, he was just getting a little stir crazy from being locked in the room for so long in pure silence.

It was unnerving, and reminded him of memories of being in a dark cell that he didn't want to rehash. He never liked the silence after that, but at the same time he felt as though any constant noise such as a clock or leaking tap would make him go insane. How long had he even been in this room? He asked himself as he felt his stomach gurgle under the confines of his baggy blue sweater. He hadn't eaten anything since he woke up, and he only trusted the man to bring him water from an unopened bottle.

He couldn't risk being drugged again. The vulnerability ate away at the teen, overpowering the pain in his stomach as he flipped onto his back and gently rubbed away the blood on his neck with his shirt sleeve, wincing as the fabric made contact with his stinging and sore throat.

'Maybe they're looking for me...?' He thought with a frown as he stared up at the white and chipped ceiling before he shook his head and scoffed. Like hell anyone was looking for him.

Zeff would no doubt not care, just a thorn now gone from his old and wrinkly side. And he didn't have any friends, because as much as it pained him to think about, the straw hats weren't his friends.

They were just like the others. They didn't care about him, no one cared about him. He was just something to be used at others convenience then tossed away like trash, and he was sick of it. Ya, of course everyone would pretend to be sad. They would cry crocodile tears and gain any shred of sympathy they could from whoever they could get it from, but it would all be fake. None of them cared, not Luffy, Nami, Usopp, Franky, Chopper, Robin, Brook, Zoro...

'Zoro' Sanji thought with a unreadable expression. That green haired swordsman had been doing all sorts of things to the blonde's mind ever since he saw him. It as if he's the cooks biggest rival, and yet he also acted like his best friend. It was fickle... And at the moment the young cook had manifested the image of the other teen in his mind he smacked himself.

Why was he throwing a pity party when he could be trying to break out?

Like hell that idiot moss head was going to let him live it down if he just sat back and let this creep do what he wanted! Sanji bared his teeth together as he sat himself up in one fluid motion, the pain in his cheek and the thoughts in his mind fueled his hands to grab the chain and with little thought he did something he would hate himself for later.

He wrapped the chain around his left hand and pulled the metal infused leash taught until he heard his bone creak out of place. He let out an un-muffled and blood curdling scream as his appendage snapped, eyes filling up with tears that did nothing to mask his mental smirk as he heard the expected result of Gin running as fast as possible into his room.

Tears ran down the blondes cheeks as he held the now bleeding hand close to his chest. He didn't want to damage his most important body part, but he needed that scream to be real, and he couldn't hurt his legs if he was going to fight his way out of here.

Gin didn't waste a moment as he saw the curled up blonde and quickly ran up to him in concern, making a move to grab the damaged hand but was met with the leash wrapping itself around his throat.

Then Sanji pulled. And he pulled hard.

* * *

Tbc.


	15. Chapter 15

Disclaimer : I don't own One Piece or any of it's characters.

A/N: Sorry about the long ass wait everyone!~ I was going through some stuff, and I needed time :D

* * *

Air was impossible to inhale as Gin struggled to pull off the taught leash that was wrapped around his thick throat. This had always been a possibility to the man, he knew that the blonde wouldn't take all of this with an easy-heart, but it was still unacceptable for him to attack him after everything he had done for the teen.

He was helping Sanji, and giving him everything he could possibly want in life, and this was how he was treated in turn? All he wanted to make the cook happy! He growled under his breath at the thought as he clenched his eyes shut and pulled a pocket knife out of his jeans, cutting the strap in one quick motion before turning on the hurting and angry blonde.

His eyes briefly locked on the others damaged hand, mind racing on how the teen could do something like that to himself simply for the goal of getting out of here. He would hurt his precious hands... to get away from Gin...?

"Fucker!" Sanji yelled out, snapping the other out of his stupor as he aimed a kick at his skull. Well, if this is how he was going to act then the elder man had no choice but to retaliate. Gin didn't think twice as he grabbed the others lean leg and in one quick arm thrust, snapped the bone of his shin in two. "AHHHH!"

The criminal felt a deep pain in his chest at causing the other pain yet again, but he knew that it was the only way. If he was going to make the cook his and his alone, then he would need to immobilize him. If anything, to save him from himself. So with that thought in mind the broader man pushed the pain of the other into the back of his mind before grabbing his other flailing leg and snapping that one as well, clenching his eyes shut at the sobbing wales that echoed from his love.

It was a tough decision, but one that needed to be made, Gin convinced himself as he turned on his heel and left the room. He didn't wish for the other to see the tears that had built up in his eyes after all, and refused to show any form of weakness in front of one the one he cherished.

Sanji on the other hand couldn't breath as he pulled his broken and bloody legs close to his chest, hugging them with delicate and burning palms as if to lessen the tension. It was to no avail however, if anything it only increased the pain that was coursing through his veins due to the small movement.

So instead he decided to just lay on the bed, letting his sobbing face mush messily into the pillow below him and allowing his tears to soak the fabric as his breathing got thinner. But he didn't care, because even though every inch of his being screamed in agonizing pain, the hurt that the cook was feeling in his heart was far worse.

He messed up.

The blonde bit into the pillow, tears still flowing as his mind raced. He failed to over-power the man, he failed to escape, and in doing so he damaged his hand and ultimately the only weapons he had.

Now he was nothing more than a puppet, one to be used whenever Gin felt like it and he could do nothing to retaliate. All because he was stupid... Stupid, stupid, stupid!

With each insult he proclaimed to himself he smacked his broken hand into the bed, the plush surface softening the blow but still not stopping the force of which he was damaging himself. But at the moment, as he lay on the soiled bed, blood leaking out from the bottom of his pant leg, he felt as though he deserved it.

Because no one was looking for him. And now the only person who could actually do something about his capture was useless. Useless and in pain and sobbing and just wanting himself to be wrong... He prayed that someone, anyone, was looking for him.

Hell, his worst enemy could get him out of here and he would probably kiss him on the spot.

* * *

Zoro sighed lightly as he stared up at the run down and piss smelling apartment in front of him. It was roughly 5 stories high, small compared to most, and was apparently abandoned. Had been for the past 3 years according to Google, Zoro thought with a blank stare as he stared down at his phone, confirming with his GPS that he was in the right location as to what Smoker had specified.

He was. Without a doubt he was in the proper spot but that only served to confuse the swordsman as he stared up at the broken windows and cracked bricks. It made sense for Gin to take shelter in an abandoned house, it was a classic movie move that almost made Zoro want to turn on his heel to go and get Usopp. He was a master in movies like these after all, but the muscled man knew that he couldn't turn back. Not even if he wanted to.

"-AHHHHHH!" The teen jumped up and stared with wide brown eyes at the building, focusing his ears on where the sound had erupted from. Because the source of the shout was without a doubt the cook, and that only meant that he was being hurt.

Enough to make him scream no less, Zoro thought with gritted teeth and slanted eyes as he began to climb up the fire exit's ladder, not wanting to bust in the front doors and risk more damage to the blonde. Sanji was tough in Zoro's opinion, which meant a lot to be honest, and pain was nothing unknown to the man. He could take a punch to the teeth and come back kicking with a wide and bloody smile.

He actually did the other day.

The swordsman stopped for a moment at the thought, the blonde in a tight button up shirt and black skinny jeans, kicking his ass and smiling all the while.

It was breathtaking, even in his blotchy memory. And the thoughts just fueled a desire in the teen that he needed to force to the side in fear of popping a boner. He wasn't about to kick this guys ass while sporting a chub.

He shook his head and continued climbing, stealthily checking out each window as he did so, eyes looking for any trace of life in the run down complex's dirty apartments. Eventually however he paused, eyes locked on a large common area with a television and couch place around the walls. This must be it, he thought with a frown. It was the only room with anything in it after all.

The broad teen made a surprisingly quiet entry considering his large size as he slowly opened up the already unlocked window. This guy was sloppy, Zoro mumbled to himself as he slipped into the house, pausing only to listen to creaking against the ground which made him in turn run to the closest spot for shelter.

Too bad it happened to be the bathroom. The grass haired man sighed gently as he pressed his ear against the door, praying this guy didn't have to take a piss before hopefully leaving the house. He heard about how strong he was after all from Smoker and other sources, so if he could avoid a fight for now then that would be the safest choice for Sanji, who was more than likely in no condition to fight along side him.

But it wasn't like he wasn't going to beat the man senseless once he got the cook to safety. Because that was at the top of his priority list.

He held his ear against the door in silence, listening to the retreating footsteps and then the harshly shut door. He was gone, Zoro thought with a firm frown as he slowly opened the bathroom door, looking back and forth quickly as to verify that he wasn't about to get jumped before he exited the room and began searching for the cook.

It didn't take long to do so, as the thinner teens sobs filled the house and led the swordsman right to his room. He took in a small inhale, mentally preparing himself for whatever awaited him on the other side, before smacking the door open and charging in, stopping in the center of the room with his hand clenched around his sword.

"...Zoro?" The man in question stopped breathing for a moment as he looked at the figure on the bed.

Sanji's red eyes were wide in shock, tears still pouring from the beautiful blues as he stared at the intruder. His hair was matted with drying blood that concerned Zoro of a head injury, but he dismissed it when he noticed the damage done to the others hand and legs. There was red everywhere and Zoro had never in his life wanted to kill someone more than he did at this very moment.

How dare anyone touch the fucking cook!? Let alone hurt him to this extent! He inhaled sharply as the blonde blinked and wiped his eyes with his good hand, smearing some blood across his cheek and not doing much to dry his stained cheeks.

"What the fuck took you so long, asshat?!" The blonde yelled, snapping Zoro out of his thoughts and directing his attention back to the issue at hand. At the same time however, he couldn't help but grin.

Even in peril the cook still talked like that... God, Zoro was in love.

"Not my fault your dumbass got kidnapped in the first place." Zoro stated with a small grin as he walked over to the bed and un-clipped the blondes collar. He saw that the leash was broken, but doubted that the teen wanted to stay in the tight article for any longer. After that he looked down, trying to assess what to do in this situation without further damage to the blonde.

"Is it just you?" Sanji's raspy voice asked as he tried to sit up on shaking arms. Zoro helped him by supporting his back.

"Yep."

"Well then I'm fucked." The blonde mumbled as the other glared at him.

"You're lucky you're already hurt, shit-cook." The tanned teen grounded out, making the blonde laugh and then cough in pain from the action.

"Heh. You couldn't hurt me on my worst day-OW!" Sanji frowned and glared at the man as he nursed his stinging ear. Zoro grinned and chuckled as he brought back his hand back. "Did you really just flick my ear, moss-head?"

"Yep. Now shush, I need to call Smoker."

"You do that. I'll just lay here and die." Zoro glared at the other for the comment but Sanji simply put his uninjured hand up in a surrendering motion before gesturing for him to make the call.

He do so without question, knowing that with the cook like this he wouldn't be able to carry him out. He would need an ambulance, and hopefully the cops could get here before Gin came back. He dialed in the number and held the phone against his ear, waiting for the man to pick up and muttering under his breath about slow cops as each ring assaulted his ear.

"ZORO!" The swordsman didn't have a moment to react as the blonde shouted on the bed, eyes wide in fear before something slammed into the back of his skull, knocking him out immediately and making his body flop onto the bed next to the cook, who was hyperventilating as the attacker walked up to him and quickly threw Zoro off of the bed, making Sanji attempt to go over to the man and make sure he wasn't dead, but was stopped as a hand gently but firmly grabbed his forearm.

"I'm so sorry, my love. That man was going to hurt you wasn't her?! But it's OK now, he won't touch you... No one but me will ever get to feel this succulent skin under their fingers..." Gin stated in a much too calm tone as he gently ran the back of his knuckles down Sanji's shaking and newly tear stained face.

"You f-fuck! Get away from me! Don't fucking t-touch Zoro again!" Sanji yelled in a panic as he comprehended just what the man was intending to do to the swordsman.

"...Why?"

"Because I like him you asshole! Itai..." Sanji wept as Gin clenched his hand tighter around his arm.

"You... Like him?" Gin asked softly, face voice portraying calm but his features showed how pissed off the man truly was.

"I...I..." Sanji hiccuped as the man cut off his circulation. "Stop... Gin..."

"I've done so much for you... I love you, but you want to just discard me for him?!" Gin's voice raised with each word as he shook the cook and gestured to the man on the ground. "After everything I've done for you!?"

"You haven't done a-anything for me!" Sanji screamed, sanity finally snapped as the man stared down at him. "You're a murderer and a kidnapper and a fucking asshole! I never want, nor have I ever wanted anything to do with you!"

There was silence in the room for what felt like hours as Sanji panted and slowly began to realize what he had just said and who he just said it too. He gulped and sniffed lightly as the man let go of his arm and stood up. He stayed silent for a moment as he walked out of the room, leaving Sanji confused and scared before he snapped out of it and dragged his body over to the side of the bed, gasping and gritting his teeth in pain as he leaned on his good arm and looked down at Zoro.

There was a bit of blood leaking out from the back of his skull, but the rise and fall of his chest showed that he was still alive. Sanji sniffed, praying that he wasn't too injured before his attention was drawn to the object next to the teens hand. The phone!

The cook quickly face planted onto the bed to free his useable hand and reached for the phone, quickly pressing it against his ear and praying that someone was already on the other side. "H-Hello?"

"Hello?! Who is this?" A deep voice that Sanji semi-recognized from the party yelled in concern.

"S-Sanji-" He paused to cough and wipe away the string of blood that escaped his lips before putting the phone back to his ear. "Sanji Blackleg... I need help... Zoro-urk-Zoro's been hurt... He's bleedin..."

Sanji shook his head as his vision grew spotty and hazy, reminding him that he had lost and was continuing to lose too much blood.

"Where are you's right now?" Smoker asked in concern as he heard how slurred the young teens voice was getting.

"I-I don't know... I don't..." Sanji sniffed once more as his eyes began to droop. "Please help him... I'm sorry... God, I-I can't fight back... M'not gonna make it..."

"Yes you will! You'll be fine, Sanji. Just stay on the line we are tracking you now. Keep breathing and stay awake, do you hear me?" Sanji nodded softly, not even realizing that the other man wouldn't notice before he heard the door to his room creak back open.

"Oh god.. No, he's back..." Sanji sobbed loudly as he burrowed his face into the bed.

"Who is back?! Sanji stay with me!" He could hear the panic in the older man's voice as Gin walked back into the room, only to run to the blonde when he noticed what he had in his hands.

"OW-No!" Sanji yelled as Gin grabbed the cellphone with one hand and gripped his hair with the other. He then proceeded to hang up the device and crush it under his foot before glaring down at the half-unconscious teen.

"Sanji... I'm sorry.. But I need you to understand that everything that I'm doing, I'm doing for you. You will be mine. Wether you want it or not."

The blonde could do nothing to retort as his eyes finally fluttered shut, and the world became a blank slate of nothing around him. His final thought before passing out was how he hoped Zoro would be alright...

* * *

Gin sighed for what felt like the hundredth time that day as he looked down at the two teens. He knew that someone would eventually come for Sanji, but he wasn't expecting this. The cops yes, but not some beefy teenager who his Sanji apparently liked.

It was... Hurtful, if the man were to be honest. But at the same time he knew that Sanji was young. He didn't know any better.

But he would. After he made the cook his, then the teen would realize just who loved him. And that gorilla of a man on the floor will watch as he takes Sanji for his own, and then they would all understand that the blonde belonged to him. And no one fucking else.

But first, they would need a change in scenery. There was no way the man was risking someone tracking that phone and finding them. No one was going to take Sanji away from him, especially after everything he has gone through to get to this point. And if they did well...

Let's just say that they don't call him a 'demon' for nothing.

* * *

Tbc.


	16. Chapter 16

Disclaimer : I don't own One Piece or any of it's characters.

A / N : OK, so I know it has been awhile since I posted the previous chapter, and that's cause I've realized that this story is poorly written. Sooo I still want to finish it, but it might end a little abruptly.

* * *

Sanji came too wakefulness slowly and painfully as his head rung out in pure agony, almost as if a truck had collided with his skull. Now that he mentioned it however, the blonde drowsily opened his eyes as he noticed his skull wasn't the only thing ringing in pain.

His legs, arms, neck and basically every part of the thin body felt like it was on fire. But his mind was completely blank as to why he was feeling this way... He strained his eyes in the dark room and fought with his subconscious to remember what transpired the night before, only to come up blank as his skull began to ring from the pressure he was applying to himself.

"Cook?!" The blue eyes shot open in shock as a deep and raspy voice called out to him. He attempted to look for the source of the call, but it was useless as it felt like his head was glued to the comfy surface below him.

"H-He...llo?" Sanji spoke softly before coughing gently. It seemed to relieve the other occupant of the room as he sighed loudly and placed an unseen hand on his chest, making a clinking noise explode in the room as the cuffs around his wrists moved.

"Oh jesus.. I thought you were dead." The blonde was confused as he slowly continued to take in what was happening.

"Wha...?"

"Are you alright?" The other, still unknown to Sanji man asked softly as the blonde in question clenched his teeth. Even talking was hurting the poor teen as he tried his hardest to focus on how soft the bed below him was.

"No... No...I'm um... Where are we..? Who are you..?"

"Shit, you must of hit your head... It's Zoro."

"Oh! Moss-head... Why the hell are you-" The blonde stopped himself as he remembered exactly what had occurred prior to him passing out. That fucking bastard, Gin! Not only did the fuck break his legs, arms and overall pride, but he had to drag Zoro into this shitty mess as well. "Shit... Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, dumbass. Now answer my question." Zoro grumbled as he shuffled himself. He appeared to be tied down to a chair with his hands attached to the arm rests by some loose handcuffs that allowed his hands to reach his chin. It was an odd set up, but the swordsman didn't have the room to argue it as his concern for the cook flooded over.

"I'm... I think I'm dying..." Sanji spoke honestly as he rolled his head to the side towards the direction of his friends voice. "Everything hurts..."

"Fuck... I've tried to break free but these cuffs are strong. Are you tied down?" Zoro asked, although he already knew that the blonde wouldn't be able to move whether he was strapped down or not.

"I don't t-think so." Sanji groaned gently as he attempted to move his limbs, but it hurt way too much and the end game wasn't worth it in his opinion so he decided to just stop. "Can't tell..."

"That's fine, try not to move, dumbass. Wouldn't want you to get any more injured, now do you have any idea where we are?" Zoro asked as he squinted into the dark. It was impossible to tell where they were or what they were strapped too, but what was even worse was that his phone and swords were gone, leaving him feeling rather naked in the dark room.

"No, but I doubt we moved very far from the room. He wouldn't be able to get us both out without anyone noticing... Right?"

"You'd think but we can't be too sure. Didn't that room have a window?"

"Ya... Ugh, but it had curtains..." Sanji began to mumble as he stared out into nothing. Zoro grunted in concern.

"Oi! Stay awake, cook."

"Mgh... Fine... You think anyone's looking for us?" Zoro cocked an eye in confusion.

"Of course they are. The entire police force was looking for you before, as well as your father and friends."

"Humm. That's good, hopefully they find you...Ugh..."

"They'll find us BOTH, idiot. Now shut your mouth unless you wanna start talking positively."

"Pfft... Wow, of course I had to be stuck here with a plant who's mouth could peel paint." Sanji joked gently as Zoro rolled his eyes.

"That's coming from you, sailor mouth." The two were silent for a moment after that, which concerned Zoro as the blonde wasn't one to back down from any form of insult, and Sanji because the lack of noise was urging him to fall back asleep. "Hey... Do you hear that?"

The two strained their ears as they heard the quite sound of a door clicking open and then shut, with footsteps following shortly after that seemed to get louder and louder, as if the person in question was walking towards their room.

"Shit... Play dead, cook. He might not touch you if he thinks you're still sleeping." Zoro whispered harshly as Sanji made a small noise of agreement, only to hault as he realized closing his eyes would definitely mean his slumber.

"Can't... M'tired, Zoro." Concern rose as the cook spoke the others name, something they hadn't done since their first meeting.

Before Zoro could respond the door swung open, exploding a beam of light into the room that blinded the two. Their eyes took a few moments to adjust and once they did they wished that they hadn't. They definitely weren't in the run down building anymore, but instead it looked like they were in a small and very new looking room with no windows and only a single door adorning the wall. Gin turned the light on as the two adjusted, not saying a word as he stepped up to the large plush bed that Sanji was laying back on.

Zoro grumbled as he blinked harshly. Once his eyes were attuned to the sudden brightness he had to prevent himself from gasping in shock at the sight of his friend. Sanji was covered hips to toe in red stained bandages, with just his bright pink underwear and white gauze hiding his shame as he lay on top of a blue blanket.

Sanji on the other hand was more concerned about the blood that slowly ran down the side of the buffer teens face, which was neglected when Gin decided to bandage the teen up. Head injuries were life threatening if not treated properly, so it was very surprising how the teen still managed to stay awake.

"Good afternoon, my dear. And guest." Gin spoke calmly as he sat next to the blonde and began looking his injuries over. "I'll have to change your bandages, love."

"F-Fuck off..." Sanji grit his teeth as the other ignored him, and instead set a hidden bag next to him that had a large medical plus mark stitched into the side. He then proceeded to pull out several clean gauze and bandages as well as some clothes and rubbing alcohol.

"This will sting, but I promise it will be over soon." The elder man said as he began to cut away at the white wrapping on the cooks left leg.

"Tch... Don't fucking touch me you freak!" Sanji shouted and in an act of thoughtlessness, tried to swing at the man with his other leg. Gin grabbed the appendage in a gently hand as Sanji shook all over and began to sweat, the strain from simply keeping his foot in the air was far greater than he would of thought, and even as he struggled to put it down, Gin only raised it higher. "Mgh!"

"Calm yourself. I understand that you must be hurting, and wanting your revenge for what I did too you, but that will have to wait. At least until the numbing serum wears off." Zoro clicked his tongue at the statement. So that was why the cook was unable to move his arms. Granted, the one was badly damaged, but it wouldn't of effected his other hand. "Which won't be for... Another 3 hours."

"W-Where are we?" The cook asked in anger as the man re-wrapped his hurt limbs and set his leg back down. He didn't even want to look down at the damage as the wrappings came off. 'Numbed' his ass. He hurt all fucking over.

"On our boat. The one that we are going to use to sail around the world and find All Blue..." Gin said in a distracted tone as he cleaned the wounds.

"W-What?!" Sanji yelled only to have a coughing fit at the sudden shout. Gin sighed and pulled a water bottle out of the bag, he unscrewed the top and began to lean it into the cooks mouth.

"Open."

"Fuck y-" The blonde was cut off as water began to swarm his mouth, clogging his throat and making him splutter in an attempt to swallow the crisp liquid. "Ack-Stmm!"

"You need to learn to listen." Gin growled out as he grabbed the cooks chin in a harsh grip and poured more water into the forced open mouth with the other hand. Sanji's eyes began to tear up as he struggled to swallow and prevent the water from going up his nose.

"Stop fucking touching him!" Zoro finally broke in. His anger began to bubble over the second the man touched the blonde. This was too much, and very unnecessary as the blonde was already incapable of movement.

"...Excuse me?" Gin raised the bottle as he looked over at Zoro, allowing Sanji to swallow and regain his breath. "I can touch him all I want. He's mine after all."

"Like hell he is, you psychopath!" The swordsman glared into the other mans dead looking eyes as he listened to the cooks heavy breathing.

Gin sighed as he re-capped the bottle and finished wrapped the now silent and panting cooks legs. Zoro was a little unnerved by the silence but he too remained quite as the man finished and then put everything back inside the medical bag.

"Sanji, love? Have you slept with this man?" The blonde blushed at the abrupt question, Gin took the response as a yes and sighed once more as he set the bag back onto the floor. "So... you have."

"N-No! I haven't, why the fuck is it even any of your business?!"

"Because you're mine. How many time do I have to say that?" The outlaw asked as if he was bored of repeating himself. "No man but me is allowed to touch you."

"I'm not yo-" The blonde was stopped yet again as Gin clenched a hand over his mouth.

"Shhh. We don't want to say anything we'll regret do we?" He cooed gently in contrast to the fierce grip that held the blondes mouth shut. Sanji groaned softly as his teeth clenched together painfully, but otherwise remained silent as he was degraded in front of Zoro. He honestly felt the need to kill himself as a tear threatened to sneak past his lid at the humiliation.

"Let go of him! Jesus, what the hell is wrong with you?!" Zoro shouted through grit teeth as he watched the blondes pain contort in pain.

"Ugh. You are getting annoying." Gin mumbled out as he let go of the blonde and stood back up. He seemed to think something over for a moment before turning on his heel. "I'll go grab you some food, darling. You're going to need your strength tonight after all."

After that he exited the room and closed the door back shut, being sure to keep the light on as he did so. "W-What's that supposed to mean?"

"..." Zoro was silent as he seethed and tested the strength of his bonds once again. It was pointless at this point, that he knew, but he wasn't as naive as the cook apparently was. He knew exactly what that sick fuck had in mind for the poor blonde, and like hell he was going to just sit back and allow it.

"Mgh..." Sanji groaned once again as he too attempted to move, he got as far as a finger wiggle before the strain was too much and made him give up. "Hey... You think we're gonna die here?"

"No. We aren't dumbass." The swordsman responded in a growl as Sanji chuckled.

"How the hell can you be so sure...?" He asked with an unseen cocked eyebrow. "This fuck is insane... He broke my goddamn legs while pretending that I was at fault, he's unpredictable."

"Jesus..." Zoro had already knew that Gin had broken the teens legs, it was obvious that he would never do it to himself, but at the same time his stomach couldn't help but turn at the thought. How the hell could someone claiming to love the blonde do something so heinous to him. He had half a mind to ask about his hand but refrained from doing so as to prevent any further heartache, he knew how the blonde felt about his hands and how well he took care of them so he doubted he wanted to speak about it. "Do..." He licked his dry lips, thinking about what to say next. "Do you think my call got through?"

"Your... Call?" Sanji asked softly as his eyebrows creased together in confusion.

"Remember when I found you? I called the police, do you think the call got through?"

"Oh! Ya... It did, I talked to someone for a minute... Can't remember what was said though."

"A minute? Then it was definitely traced. Too bad he changed our location..." Zoro grumbled as his wrists began to bleed from the force he was applying to the cuffs. "How many injuries do you have?"

"I dunno..." The blonde hissed as he turned his head back to look at the other teen. "Everything hurts... Why did you..."

He stopped himself mid-sentence to bite his bottom lip and look back up at the ceiling.

"What?" Zoro asked in confusion as Sanji let out a long sigh.

"Why did you come to get me...? I thought you hated me..." Sanji finally asked, turning his head once again to look at the swordsman who blushed lightly as he tsked and looked away from the bright blue eyes.

"I don't hate you, dumbass. I came to find you because I... I knew you would never be able to get yourself out of this mess. Useless cook." The teen lied as he stopped straining his arms and simply let them rest at his sides.

"Up yours! I don't need your help asshole!" The blonde felt a vein pop in anger as he struggled to sit himself up.

"Then why the hell are you still here?" Zoro taunted back as he continued to look away.

"You talk big for a guy strapped to a fucking chair!"

"I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for you!"

"Then why did you bother coming alone?! What kind of dumba-" He stopped himself mid-sentence as he slipped on his elbow and cried out in pain as he landed back onto the bed. Zoro looked over at him in shock and sighed lightly in guilt as he watched the cook struggle to calm down.

"I'm sorry... I didn't mean that. I came because your my friend, Sanji. I came alone because the police were being too slow and I had a lead." Zoro spoke softly and quickly as the cook calmed himself down.

"But-" He couldn't continue as the door to their room swung back open and Gin walked in with a large tray in his hands.

"Sorry for the wait, I made you some ramen and cake. I'm not a good cook by any means, especially not compared to you, but these were pretty simple." The criminal explained without prior prompt as he slowly moved to the bed and placed the tray on a little table to their right. He then proceeded to pull a whimpering Sanji into a sitting position and made him lean against the pillows that were piled up against the wall.

"Kkh...Mgh..." The blonde panted as his weak and injured body was moved. He didn't voice the pain but it was impossible to keep the noises of complain contained as the larger body moved him without thought.

"Alright, now let's get something in your stomach," The man smiled gently as he grabbed the noodles and chopsticks and swirled the noodles onto the sticks before holding it up to the blondes closed lips.

"Fuck off..." The blonde muttered, being sure to keep his mouth closed enough to not allow any food to pass through. The man could of poisoned it for all he knew.

"Sanji. I am not doing this. Now open your mouth." Gin stated as the blonde simply glared at the man in anger. He remained silent as Gin sighed once more and placed the noodles back into the bowl before setting the bowl onto the tray. His silence unnerved the two teenagers but they didn't wish to risk speaking as the man reached into one of the little tables drawers.

The silence persisted as he rummaged through the drawer only to conceal what he finally pulled out behind his hand. Sanji didn't have to wait long to find out what it was as a cool and leathery collar was strapped around his neck. Shortly after his body convulsed in pain as electricity shot out of the device and made the blonde scream out in surprise and pain.

"AHHHH!" He shouted as his weak arms attempted to reach up and pry the collar off. Gin simply stared down at him for a few more moments before turning it off and picking up the bowl once again.

"Now, let's try this again, love." He said as he picked up some more noodles and held them in front of the panting blonde who, with tearing eyes, opened his mouth to allow the noodles entry. Gin finally smiled as he cooed at the obedient blonde. "There we are."

"What the fuck is wrong with you?" Zoro asked in a surprisingly calm voice as he watched the interaction. "How can you dare say that you love him when you constantly abuse him?"

"Hmm.. He needs to learn. And I'd advise that you stay quite. You wouldn't want to limit your time alive, now would you?" Gin asked as his attention stayed planted on the blonde who was silently chewing the overcooked noodles. "Aw, dear."He wiped some broth off of the blondes chin before feeding him some more. He took breaks in order to give the blonde some orangish juice but eventually the bowl was empty however and the raven haired man moved onto the white frosted angle food cake.

The eldest man bit his lip as he fed the teen the pastry, obviously finding great joy in making the frosting smear against the blondes lips and cheeks.

"Mpgh..." Sanji choked as a forkful of the spongy food filled his sore throat. He struggled to swallow for a moment before Gin allowed him a sip of the juice. By the time they were finished with everything on the tray Sanji had a good amount of icing dripping from his face. He attempted to lick it off but was stopped as Gin's fingers forcefully entered his mouth and ran against his lips, smearing the white and thick froth as the brown eyes locked on his own fingers movements.

"God. You have no idea how sexy you are do you...?" The crook muttered, more to himself than anything as he ran his pointer finger over the soft lips. "I can't stop myself anymore..."

Sanji made a choked noise of confusion and pain as the man moved him down to lay on his back before crawling ontop of the thin form. He began to kiss the blondes cheeks and lips, cleaning off the frosting as he removed the collar. Once it was off of the purple bruised neck he began his assault on that as the blonde breathed harshly in fear.

"W-What the fuck are you doing?! Stop it!" He yelled as the man ran his hands up his soft white shirt and began playing with the pink nubs. "STOP!"

"Leave him alone!" Zoro yelled in panic as he watched Sanji tear up and struggle against the larger man. He struggled harder in the cuffs as Gin moved his hand over the blondes tight pink underwear, making the cook gasp in shock as his brain finally processed what was going on.

"N-No! STOP! PLEASE!" Memories of his past sexual experiences ran through his mind, scaring the crying blonde as he attempted to kick the man off with broken legs. "O-Oh god... Please, Gin!"

"Ya, keep talking... God your voice is amazing." Gin muttered in a breath as his mind raced. This was finally it. He would finally claim what was his after years of pining from afar. His dreams were nothing compared to the real thing, even if his dreams contained a more willing Sanji, but that would happen eventually... He just needed time.

"P-Please..." Sanji cried as looked as far away from Zoro as he could, causing his cheek to burrow into the soft pillow and drenching the fabric as his body shivered in fear.

Zoro could only watch with wide and anger filled eyes as Sanji's thin body was exposed with a raised shirt. His underwear were still on but a hand that was in the fabric stretched them out with each movement. The room was filled with Sanji's cries as he fought against the man, and Zoro feared the absolute worse until a small buzzing noise grew louder and louder.

It was a siren, one he recognized as being a police boat. And it was getting closer to them with each passing second.

* * *

Tbc.


	17. Chapter 17

Disclaimer : I don't own One Piece or any of it's characters.

A/N: This will be the final chapter ladies and gents. I need to move on with a better fic, one that I actually care about writing, because Ill be honest, at this point it's hard just to write for this story anymore. I guess you can tell since my writing kinda goes to shit near the end... Buuuut anywho, I hope you all enjoy the finale, and hope you will stay tuned for an even better story in the future~

* * *

Zoro couldn't help but grin like a mad man as Gin ears picked up on the sirens that were nearing the boat. He relished in the look of panic that the eldest man held on his features as he sat up harshly and took his hands off the shaking blonde below him.

"How the fuck...?" The convict asked aloud, but it was obvious that it was directed at no one but himself as he stood up from the bed and ran out of the room, not bothering to close the door behind him as he did so, and only then Zoro allow himself to relax as the man removed himself from the cook, who was panting wildly in fear.

"I told you they would come, cook." Zoro gloated with relief glued to his voice, but his glee was wiped away as Sanji did nothing in response. The green haired man was confused for a moment, but his eyes widened slightly in understatement and concern once he noticed the other teen was trying his hardest to keep his sobbing at bay.

The swordsman knew that the blonde had been sexually assaulted in the past, but he would never be able to comprehend just how exactly an event as devastating as that would make you feel in the long run.

Which led him to stay silent, not knowing what words would help ease the other in this moment of crisis. So instead he just waited and watched as the cook attempted to regulate his breath and slow down his accelerated heart beat on his own.

It took a few moments, and within that time the larger of the two listened in on the shouts and crashes that were coming from the deck above them but ignored them in favor of watching the blonde. After what felt like hours however, the lean male finally blinked away the tears and took a final inhale as he turned his head weakly to look over at Zoro, who smiled gently at him in turn.

"The police...?" Zoro nodded, concern growing as he noticed Sanji's eyes glaze over and begin to droop.

"Ya, they're arresting that asshat as we speak... I'm just praying he fights back and gives them a reason to break the bastards l-nose." He stopped himself from saying legs as his eyes glanced over the cook's, which were wrapped in freshly stained red bandages. Sanji nodded and blinked harshly before looking into Zoro's brown and concern filled eyes.

"So... We..." He cleared his throat. "We're saved?"

"Ya, cook. We're saved."

"Well... It's about fucking time." Sanji groaned, which made Zoro snort out a laugh. That was the blonde he knew.

"I doubt it was easy to find us on the sea, you jerk." Zoro continued the conversation, not wanting the other to pass out before he could see a doctor.

"Pfft... I... I woulda found us i-in a heart... Heart beat..." Sanji droned off as his eyes closed to the size of slivers. Zoro tsked at the action.

"Hey asshole, stay awake."

"Nuu..." Sanji shook his head gently. "I just want the pain... To go 'way..."

"I know... I know, Sanji. But you need to stay awake. You need to see a doctor." Sanji blinked over at the other and smiled, showing off two rows of pearly white teeth as Zoro blushed in confusion at the sudden action. "What?"

"You... Called me Sanji..." The blonde let out a gurgle filled giggle. "You've... Never done that b'fore..."

"Oh.." Zoro blushed before clearing his throat and listening in on the voices that neared their room. "Well don't get used to it, shit-cook."

"Wouldn't... Dream of it... Moss-head..." And with that the blondes blue eyes were hidden from the world behind two pale lids which made Zoro's heart race faster which each moment that the cook wasn't getting medical attention.

"HEY! GET IN HERE! THE COOK NEEDS HELP!" He shouted in one quick breath, but didn't even allow himself to relax as 2 officers ran into the room, guns raised in warning as they looked over the rooms situation. Once they clued in on what had occurred they put the weapons away and quickly ran to untie the two teenagers. "Hurry the fuck up! He needs a doctor!"

* * *

The transition from the boat to the hospital was nothing more than a blur for Zoro as he watched the doctors cart the blonde into the emergency ward, he himself was placed in an open room with a female doctor with short black hair looking over his skull. He had complained about being separated from the cook but they wouldn't listen to him as Sanji needed far more attention than he did. Which he understood, but he should be allowed to go into the room the blonde was set in, he didn't need this checkup.

"Look, I'm fine. Can you please just let me go see the cook?" He asked once again which resulted in a head shake from the shorter woman.

"I'm really sorry, . He is in surgery at the moment and you need your rest as well. That knock to the head could of cracked your skull open." She explained in a calm and soothing tone as Zoro tsked and crossed his arms above his broad chest. "I'm sure you can be there when your partner wakes up, but until then you need to relax and know that he is in good hands."

"P-Partner?!" Zoro yelled with red blushing his cheeks as he shook his head, much to the doctors dismay as she was currently stitching up the gash that Zoro seemed to be unaware of. "We're nakama!"

"Oh! Dear, I am sorry. I just assumed with how concerned you were and how you held his hand on your transition over here." She said softly and slyly as Zoro huffed out a breath and rolled his eyes. Was everyone going to be like this? He honestly didn't understand how everyone just assumed the cook and him were together. "Your head is all patched up, but I recommend you get a couple hours of sleep. I'll be up to get you when Mr. Vinsmoke wakes up-"

"Who?" Zoro cocked an eyebrow at the name.

"Mr. Vinsmoke? The lad you came in with?"

"...His last names Blackleg." He responded in a confused tone, making her cock her head slightly in confusion as she looked down at the board that she had grabbed from the en-table.

"Oh! Dear me, I am making too many mistakes today, I hadn't realized he had a name change."

'Name change?' The swordsman thought hazily as his eyes began to droop. He didn't give it too much thought however as the nurse finally left his room and allowed him the silence he needed to fall asleep.

* * *

Waking up was... Less than enjoyable for a certain blonde cook. He could tell that he was pumped full of pain killers since his mind was hazy and his limbs felt like they were mad of jelly, but the pain in his head wasn't so easily remedied.

He groaned gently as he cracked his sleep-filled eyes open, allowing himself a moment to adjust to the light before taking in his surroundings.

A hospital. He thought with a frown as he took in the white walls and the smell of hand-sanitizer. He was in a hospital... He was safe. "Heh..."

He sighed lightly as he allowed a small smile to grace his lips. Thank god... His eyes shot back open however, making him slightly confused as to when exactly he shut them, as the door at the end of his bed opened slowly. A white head peaked in before smiling and walking into the room.

" ." Sanji blinked in recognition of that voice. It took him a moment to jog his memory before he remembered the party and the phone-call.

Smoker. "How are you feeling?"

"Like shit..." He groaned in a raspy tone, making the other nod in understatement and concern.

"That's to be expected. You were ruffed up pretty badly by that lunatic. Two broken legs, a broken hand, 4 fractured ribs, internal bleeding, heavy damage on the lining of your throat, and I won't bother getting into all the smaller damage." He railed off, making Sanji wince as he realized he wouldn't be leaving this hospital for awhile. "We have only that idiot swordsman to thank for you not being dead, though."

"Zoro?" The blonde shot to attention at the mention of the moss-headed teen. "Is..." He licked his lips. "Is he alright?"

"Compared to you he's in peak condition. He's resting right now, but as soon as-" He was interrupted as the door shot open and a hoard of different sized teenagers ran in.

"ARE YOU ALRIGHT!?"

"Dude, you look awful!"

"I'm glad you're alright, Sanji-kun."

Sanji blinked harshly as the teens crowded his bed and didn't hesitate to start railing off, each word piercing his brain in a way that made him want to rip his golden strands out of his scalp. "Guys...?"

"You're more bandages than person!"

"This is so not SUPER!"

"Are you on e-enough pain-killers?"

"Guys?" He tried once more as his eyes began to water from the noise.

"Are they giving you lots of meat?!"

"Luffy, that isn't good for a sick person!"

"How did you get out?!"

"GUYS!" At that Sanji broke into a fit of coughs, making the teens shut themselves up to look at him in worry. "Hck..."

"Water?" He looked over at Chopper with tear filled eyes, managing a small nod before the small soon to be doctor to run out of the room, only to return a moment later with a cup filled with cold and crisp looking water. The thin teen grabbed the cup with no hesitation, making some water splash on his white hospital shorts sleeve, but he paid it no mind as he chugged back the water. "Better?"

"Mhhm." He hummed with a less dry throat. "Thanks..."

Chopper nodded and looked like he was about to say more but stopped himself as another, and much bigger figure entered the crowded room. Oh jeez, Sanji groaned as he bit his lip, eyes moving down to his lap as his father-figured walked into the room and sat in the chair to his left.

It was silent for a long moment, making Sanji want to break the silence but not wanting to say anything that would push his boat further down shit creek. He didn't have to however as a sharp pain erupted from the top of his head, making him wince and look over at the smug looking chef.

"What the fuck, shitty geezer?!" He yelled in anger before silencing himself as a strong set of arms wrapped around his shoulders. "..."

"You're an idiot, eggplant. But I'm glad you aren't dead."

"...Heh. Sentimental fucker." The younger chef sniffed lightly as they slowly removed themselves from one another. Zeff sat himself back on the chair as he assessed his sons damage.

"Jesus, you look awful."

"Coming from you, ugly." Sanji jabbed back as he wiped his face quickly with his good hand, not wanting to be seen crying in front of all his friends.

"So, the cops won't tell us jack, so you're going to have to fill in the blanks on how you got out of there." Zeff said gently as he watched Smoker leave the room. He didn't want to be in the much too full room, and he had another patient to check on anyways.

"They didn't...?" The blonde asked, making Luffy nod rapily from his spot next to Zeff.

"Ya! They said they needed to do reports and other stuff before letting us know what happened! So what happened?!"

"Lower your voice, idiot." Sanji responded quickly before rolling his eyes. "I'm surprised they didn't tell you though. It was that shitty moss-head that got me out... Technically."

"Technically?" Nami asked with a cocked brow.

"Ya, he came in alone like a dumbass and got knocked out, but not before the cops could track his phone I guess... And I really don't know how they found the boat, maybe they followed him from the apartment?" The thin teen shrugged his shoulders, only to wince in pain at the small action.

"Wait, so where is he-" Usopp was interrupted as the door shot open once again.

Zoro ran into the room as fast as he could, ignoring the protests of the doctors in the hall, only to pause as his eyes locked onto the blue ones of the cook. He could, for the first time since he met the cook, see his whole face with the bandages pushing his bangs back, making him blush slightly at how pretty the cook before him truly was.

"...You look like shit." Zoro mumbled for lack of a compliment as he walked further into the room, taking the chair on the cooks left.

"Jesus, everyone is just being super nice to me today, huh?" The blonde rolled his eyes as he looked at the bandage on the other teens head. "Hows the damage?"

"Who cares, idiot? You are literally covered in casts."

"Pfft, this is nothing. I'm more concerned for you, wouldn't want the poor moss-head to loose any more precious brain cells."

"You're lucky you're injured, cook."

"Come at me, Marimo. I could lay you out like this!" By the end of the cooks statement, he and Zoro were forehead to forehead, practically screaming into one another's mouths.

"Just kiss already." Zeff broke in, making Sanji reel his head back with a blush, groaning as his skull made contact with the plush pillow below him.

"S-Shut up, old man!" The cook panted gently before he looked back at Zoro, grinning at the blush that covered the teens cheeks. "Aww, is someone embarrassed?"

"You shut up." Was his response as he rubbed a large and tanned hand over his bandaged skull. "But seriously, how are you feeling?"

Sanji shrugged. "I'm on some good shit right now, so pretty good."

"Heh..." The were silent before Nami grinned and grabbed Luffy's arm.

"We are going to get something to eat, give you two some privacy~" She winked as her and the other piled out, leaving Zeff to simply roll his eyes before shooting a final glare at Zoro before he left as well. It was silent once more before Zoro decided to break it.

"Why does your dad hate me so much..?" He mumbled, making Sanji chuckle gently.

"He doesn't. He's just an ass."

"You sure? Cause he seems fine with everyone but me." He protested, making Sanji shrug, wincing again at the stupid action.

"Maybe he just hates your face? I mean, it is pretty weird."

"Like I'd take that from someone with eyebrows that curl in the same direction." Zoro chuckled as Sanji blushed and huffed.

"Up yours!" Sanji yelled before coughing, Zoro allowed the other a moment to catch his breath in silence, simply looking over the battered form of his friend with sad eyes. "You're just saying that for lack of complimenting my obvious beauty."

It was obvious that the cook was joking. It really was. But Zoro couldn't help himself as he muttered out a soft "Ya..."

"What?" Sanji looked at him with creased brows as Zoro sighed and looked him in the eyes.

"You want to go on a date with me?"

The silence was crushing Zoro's lungs in his chest, making him want to take the words back as soon as he noticed the cook looked like he had just been punched in the face. He knew that the other had a right to be surprised, and maybe he shouldn't of asked that so randomly, but the cook was right. He was beautiful. And smart and funny and kind and so goddamn strong and just perfect in the swordsmans eyes.

"..." Sanji bit his lip gently as Zoro clenched his fists together. There was another beat of silence before Sanji sighed and looked him in the eyes. "Sure. But you do realize I'll be trapped in this room for awhile right?"

"Uh..." It was Zoro's turn to be surprised. He honestly never expected a yes, and now his mind was blanking as to what he needed to do next.

"Hello?" Sanji asked, waving his undamaged hand in front of Zoro's stunned face. "You alright?"

"Um-Ya! Ya, I just..." He shook his head with a small grin. "Didn't think you would agree."

"Well to be honest, I wouldn't of when we first met... But I don't know, I guess you just grew on me. Granted, that's what moss does best, " He paused to relish in the growl that Zoro gave out in warning. "But, I... I honestly can't stop thinking about you. How you risked your own life to save mine, how you can fight me and talk to me without holding back, and how you're actually really kind deep down."

Zoro blushed as the other spoke, not realizing that he was thinking about him in that way. Sanji smiled with a blush of his own as he shrugged. "I don't know. I like you, I guess... Sucks that it took me almost dying to realize it, and now I'm stuck in a hospital bed for god knows how long."

"Heh, don't worry about that." Zoro grinned widely. "I'm sure I can figure something out."

* * *

 _1 WEEK LATER_

Sanji held a hand up to his mouth, stopping his breath and thus his laughter as a suit clad Zoro sat in the chair next to his hospital bed. A large bouquet of flowers was placed in his hands and a very uncomfortable expression was planted on his face at having to wear such a confining outfit.

"You..." The blonde paused to take in a deep breath as he accepted the offered roses, eyes filling up with tears at the genuine and un-prompted act. "You really didn't have to do this."

"Shut it." Zoro grumbled, playing with his tie that seemed to cut off his circulation with each moment. "You deserve the best. And since it's a little hard to do much of anything here I decided on this."

"YOU decided on this?" Sanji cocked his visible brow in amusement at both the compliment and the obvious fact that Zoro would never willingly wear a suit.

"Well.. Nami helped I guess." He mumbled, making Sanji laugh, nose tickling the light blue rose petals as he looked over at Zoro in joy.

"Of course."

"Shut your face, cook. I decided on dinner and the color of the flowers." He defended himself as Sanji set the roses onto his lap before moving his hand over to Zoro's, grasping it slightly with a smile.

"Thank you... Really, I've never had anything like this done for me. And ya it sucks that I'm still stuck on a bed on 20 different types of medications, but I honestly wouldn't trade this for anything." Zoro blushed and ran his fingers over Sanji's paler and thinner ones. "Thank you."

"Of course, cook." He smiled back before Sanji cocked his visible eye again.

"And what did you mean by dinner? I'm pretty sure I can only eat gross ass hospital food and maybe some ice chips if I'm lucky." At that Zoro grinned and regrettably let go of the others hands in order to stand up and walk to the door, where Usopp and Chopper were both waiting with trays in their arms. Their appearance had Sanji chuckling slightly as he noticed they were both clad to look like waiters.

"Greetings, gentlemen!" Usopp stated as he walked into the room and waited for Zoro to sit back down. "Your meals for this evenings, good sirs."

"Pfft..." Sanji snorted as Usopp attempted to take on a french accent. He had to admit though. This was amazing.

"Thanks you two." Zoro nodded with a smile as he put Sanji's flowers on the table next to them so Usopp could set the tray on his lap. Chopper gave Zoro his with a wide smile of encouragement before the two bowed and exited the room. "What goofballs."

"That was adorable." The blonde argued as he wiped a tear from his eye. Zoro noticed the action and smiled gently in turn as he realized it was a happy tear.

"So um, before you take off the top thingy-"

"The lid?"

"Shush. Before you do that just know that none of us can cook, so instead I may of just bought it all..." Sanji nodded with a smile as Zoro blushed in embarrassment at his lack of cooking skills.

"That's alright, Marimo. The thought put into all of this is all that matters to me." He smiled widely as he took off the top and set it on the table next to his flowers before looking down at the food on the platter.

It was his favorite. Shrimp tempura, seafood pasta, and garlic toast. "Huh."

"Ya, your dad, very angrily by the way, informed me on what you like to eat." He shrugged lightly as Sanji chuckled and grabbed the fork, lightly eating with Zoro who had some onigiri and miso soup of his own.

"Thank you..." He sniffed lightly as he took in a bite of the pasta, smiling as he immediately recognized where they had ordered this from. Zoro simply nodded with a smile as he reached under his seat and grabbed a bottle of something purple. "Wine?"

"Yep. Don't tell the doctors though. About any of this actually, Chopper said these were OK for you to eat now but they weren't so we had to sneak everything in." The tanned teen said quickly, making Sanji roll his eyes as he watched the other uncork the bottle and pour two paper cups half full.

"Classy." The blonde grinned as he grabbed a cup and took a sip, letting the flavors blend with his taste buds before swallowing. "Hm, perfect."

"Is it? I didn't know what wine went with what so I just grabbed whatever looked good."

"No, all of this. Everything you are doing right now is perfect..." Sanji smiled over the rim of his cup. "Thank you."

"Stop thanking me you twat, I know for a fact that you are going to one up me on a date with your cooking skills alone." Zoro said with an eye roll, making Sanji chuckle and blush at yet another compliment.

"Hell ya I will." He agreed before the two chuckled, clinked their paper cups together and resumed eating their food. Once the two finished they simply sat with one another, hands interlocked as they wished for the moment to last forever.

But alas it wouldn't and they would sadly need to part ways after visiting hours ended, but they still knew and smiled at the thought of them having their entire lives to look forward to more and more of these moments.

 _The End._


End file.
